In the Czech Republic the expected new law of landscape and nature protection became valid from the 1st June, 1992. In elaboration of the principles of the new legal amendment has been accepted from the seventies the tradition of nature protection in the Czech Republic the latest knowledge of ecological disciplines, as well as international trends, especially of IUCN. In the new law the result of the collective effort is the system of categories of protected areas. A base and innovation are important landscape elements – every smaller and larger areas with natural and artificial ecosystems being more stable than the surroundings (natural forests, fishponds, extensive meadows and pastures, peat–bogs (natural forests, fishponds, extensive meadows and pastures, peat–bogs, meads etc.). In order to protect a harmonic landscape with forests, meadows and pastures, with conserved traditional rural residences are in competence of the Ministry of the environment forming protected landscape areas with their own executive administration, in competence of regional offices natural parks (smaller areas without built–up spaces). In both cases the areas are used for recreation. Reserves and monuments have motivation of natural sciences, in competence of ministries are national natural reserves and national natural monuments, in competence of regional offices are natural reserves and natural monuments. From the viewpoint of natural sciences the most rigorous category of international importance are national parks. Protection of the category of temporarily protected areas is limited in time.