Charles University of Prague (KU), Faculty of Science, Department of Physical Geography and Geoecolog, Czech Republic
 

Charles University founded in 1348 is one of the oldest universities in Europe and the most eminent educational and scientific establishment in the Czech Republic recognized in both the European and global context. It is an outstanding cultural institution due to its scientific and pedagogical results and its unique historical tradition. The Faculty of Science was established in 1920 as the fifth faculty of the Charles University. The Faculty contains 29 departments, 3 museums and a large Botanical Garden.
 

Nowadays the Faculty is academically and organizationally divided into 4 sections: biological, geographical, geological and chemical. In addition to these sections, the Faculty has several specialists teaching and research centres including interdisciplinary institutions such as the Centre for the Environment.
The main mission of the Faculty of Science is to create highly qualified experts in life and earth sciences as well as in interdisciplinary fields. Some of the priroty long-term subjects are the study of the function and prediction of the development of ecosystems and biosphere, sustainable landscape use and human health. The Faculty offers three educational levels, bachelor, masters and doctoral.
 

The Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology is linked to the former Department of Cartography and Physical Geography founded in 1953. Its present form dates from 1991 and its activities traditionally include the whole spectrum of the scientific branch of Physical Geography. It intends to constitute a geoecological workplace and to use intensively remote sensing methods and geographical information systems. In all the fields, the scientific activity of the Department covers not only basic, but also applied research. This second group of activities includes for instance works within the river Elbe project, the implementation of the European Landscape Convention in the Czech Republic, landscape typology for the process of landscape character assessment, landscape ecological approaches to flood control and other risk processes in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment. More information including personal pages on the website: www.natur.cuni.cz.