By means of project Safeguarding the biodiversity of Eastern Europe (DARWIN INITIATIVE) in co-operation with the Lancaster University, UK., know-how of members of our research team has been extended on both safeguarding the biodiversity and way to catalogue the biodiversity of plant communities as well as on applying the scientific results to monitoring, conservation, and management of the nature. The members of Department closely collaborate with state administration as well as with non governmental organisations by categorization of habitats for Natura 2000 and have been prepared some applicable outputs such as Red data books, Checklists of rare and endangered species and mapping units for Catalogue of biotopes (2002, 2003).

The researchers of Department study in more details the relations between vegetation and environment in selected areas. Two core projects - Vegetation biodiversity at the Morava river floodplain in relation to environmental gradients and Dynamics and Ecology of Vegetation at the Morava River Floodplain are good examples. Intensive works are focused on aquatic ecosystems and mapping and monitoring of macrophyte vegetation in the Danube river and its catchments, and in streams and lakes in Slovakia. On the other hand, studies on terrestrial vegetation are devoted to succession processes and vegetation dynamics e.g. processes of invasion of trees (spruce, Scotch pine) and scrubs into abandoned meadows and pastures, using permanent monitoring plots, statistics and other means, incl. GIS techniques.

International cooperation of Department is traditionally connected with partners and Universities in Czech Republic (Brno, Prague), Austria (Vienna) and Hungary (Budapest, Vácratót, Gödde). Some of members collaborate with partners in South Korea (Andong) on vegetation survey of Korean Peninsula and Russia (Novosibirsk) by research of Siberian vegetation. Regular study journeys are set for Eastern Carpathians and Balkan Peninsula.