With the support and coordination of interested institutions and 30 specialists, a comprehensive work has been prepared on the Aquatic Invertebrates of the Pálava Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO in its proposed extended concept, including all literary records and data obtained from recent investigations. Each group included is briefly characterized and supported by a complete list of species found in the study area, together with references to published data and collection materials. The lists of references constitute a complete bibliography of every group from the Pálava Biosphere Reserve. The concluding part is a summary of information on the present state of knowledge, monitoring and biomonitoring, and conservation. Although research on aquatic invertebrates in the area under review is by no means complete, 1,553 species have been recorded. This represents nearly 36 % of aquatic invertebrates occurring in the Czech Republic (4,331 spp.). This account is a rich source of information that can be used for completing the natural characteristics of the study area, for launching programmes monitoring the aquatic invertebrate groups included, for objectively assessing the risks connected with human activities in this area and, at the same time, for improving the protection of its valuable ecosystems and rare species.
