EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

Preamble
We are glad to submit to UNESCO the
nomination of “Ancient Beech Forests of
Germany” for inscription into the World
Heritage List to extend the “Primeval Beech
Forests of the Carpathians” (Slovak Republic
/ Ukraine).
Our European beech forests are a unique
natural heritage. Mighty silver-grey trunks
bear a canopy the aesthetics of which are
without parallel throughout the year. Th ese
beech forests are a purely European phenomenon.
Germany lies at the heart of their
range of distribution. Europe's natural beech
forests have been pushed back and today
are limited to a few regions. We take great
pride in the nomination, for it refl ects the
decades-long eff orts undertaken in Germany
to protect and preserve these outstanding
old-growth beech stands as an essential part
of the globally unique Natural Heritage
that are the European beech forests. Intense
discussions with all stakeholders and the
inhabitants of the surroundings had already
been opened when the reserves encompassing
the nominated component parts
were established, which has resulted in
the nomination being broadly supported.
Th e nomination does fi ll us with joy also
because the endeavour to nominate fi ve areas
in four diff erent federal states with the
support of our Slovakian and Ukrainian
partners was crowned with success. Th e path
to success was paved, on the one hand,
by the political resolve that the governments
involved have demonstrated and, on the
other hand, by the acceptance of residents
and all protagonists on location. Implementing
an extension nomination of the kind
required plenty of coordination with all
involved parties at the local, regional, national
and transnational level. Already during
preparations did it become apparent that a
transnational nomination poses special
requirements. But then again, it shows that
diff erent countries bearing responsibility
for an ecosystem that has no parallel in the
world are willing to work together in fulfi
lling this responsibility. In Europe, where
the nations are in an intimate spatial, historical
and cultural relationship, cooperating
in the implementation of the World Heritage
Convention is not just imperative but also
a great opportunity. From our point of
view, the collaboration with our Slovakian
and Ukrainian partners is one of the most
beautiful aspects in the nomination and has
turned out as a fantastic experience already.
With the nominated component parts
acknowledged as World Heritage, the regional
identity of geographic Central Europe
could, based on a joined World Natural
Heritage property composed of component
parts stretching over three European countries,
be perceived in a positive light all over
the world.
If the Natural Heritage property “Primeval
Beech Forests of the Carpathians”, which has
already been included in the World Heritage
List, is extended by the “Ancient Beech
Forests of Germany”, the eff orts put up by
the people and by us, the governments at
the state and federal level, to preserve these
territories for present and future generations,
will be acknowledged and supported.
Nationale
Naturlandschaften
PREAMBLE
Christine Lieberknecht
Prime Minister,
Free State of Thuringia
Matthias Platzeck
Prime Minister,
Federal State of Brandenburg
Roland Koch
Prime Minister,
Federal State of Hesse
Erwin Sellering
Prime Minister, Federal State of
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Norbert Röttgen
Federal Minister for the
Environment, Nature Conservation
and Nuclear Safety
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