A remarkable success was achieved by graduate Ing. Markéta Blatecká, who received the State Land Office (SLO) Award for her thesis, recognized as the best student project in the "Living Landscape" competition. She succeeded among candidates from seven universities, whose proposals were evaluated by a professional committee comprised of representatives from SLO and the Czech Chamber for Land Consolidation.

Ing. Blatecká completed her final thesis at the Institute of Landscape Water Management under the guidance of Ing. Eva Hyánková, focusing on Water Management Measures for Slowing Runoff and Increasing Water Retention in the Kozí Potok Floodplain.

The Kozí Potok stream, part of which flows through a drained meadow floodplain in the Bruntál district, has been partially channelized. The author based her detailed technical proposal for this area on her own hydroecological monitoring. In her work, she elaborated multiple design variants for individual sections of the watercourse, which, if implemented, would slow down runoff and integrate into the local territorial ecological stability system.

The most valuable aspect of her work is its effective approach to eliminating drainage in the selected location—an issue that, unfortunately, remains relatively underaddressed in the Czech Republic. Her thesis thus stands as an exemplary model for restoring water reserves in floodplain areas.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Ing. Blatecká on her outstanding success and firmly believe that this award will open new doors in her career.