EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

38 NOMINATION DOSSIER "ANCIENT BEECH FORESTS OF GERMANY"
The German beech forests
represent a faunistic
community which is both
typical of Central Europe
and universally unique. In
the nominated component
parts, their diversity shows
almost to its entirety.
Th e inventory of species in the nominated
component parts can be regarded as being
indicative of the exceptionally well preserved
ecological-functional interrelationships in
beech forests.
Th e specifi c abundance of species in the
beech forests is no coincidence. Consumer
numbers will increase at the stages of late
maturity and collapse of the forest. Wooddwelling
insects, for instance, are found
in numbers. When increasing, the number
of birds per unit area will rise accordingly
(REMMERT 1997). In over 180-year-old
beech forests, the population density
of breeding birds is twice as high as in a
140-year-old forest (SCHERZINGER
1996), with hole-nesting birds accounting
for more than 50%. Consequently, natural
beech forests are regarded as particularly
rich in fungi as well as plant and animal
species that take advantage of dead wood.
Despite the beech's absolute dominance, the
beech forests which have evolved in Central
Europe show outstanding diversifi cation
and are unique in function and structure.
Notwithstanding the geologically short time
of a few thousand years, a highly characteristic
faunistic biocoenosis has evolved
postglacially which is just as globally unique
as is the plant community. Th e fauna can
exist in all its diversity, and the postglacial
evolutionary processes can take place only if
each forest development stage of the natural
regeneration cycle is available – which is the
case in the beech forests of the nominated
component parts.
Birds
As for the number of both species and individuals,
birds are the leading vertebrate
group in the Central European beech forest
ecosystem. Th eir ability to fl y permits them
to exploit the entire spatial structure of the
beech forest and quickly respond to changes
(WINTER 1999). Th ey occupy a variety
of niches. For example, the “wood dwellers”
will feed off sources found on / in the wood
and nest in tree holes.
Moreover, the occurrence of numerous bird
species is largely coextensive with the beech
forest. Germany bears extraordinary responsibility
for European endemites (DENZ
2003, FLADE 1998, tab. 2.3). Beside the
various mixed beech forest indicator species
(FLADE 1994), a host of bird species
abundant in beech forests are listed in the
highest signifi cance class. Examples include
Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca),
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos
medius) (LÜBCKE et al. 2004), Wood
Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), and Shorttoed
Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
as indicator species, but also Red Kite
(Milvus milvus), Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus),
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Song
Th rush (Turdus philomelos), and Mistle
Th rush (Turdus viscivorus) (PALEIT 2002),
which are all found in the nominated component
parts (tab. 2.3).
Th e biogeographic limits of the beech forest
distribution range result in this zonal bird
community being highly vulnerable.
Found in each of the fi ve component parts,
the Black Woodpecker is a key species of
old beech forests (MÜLLER 2005), preferring
beech-dominated stands and building
its nests in old live beeches. Th e nesting holes
are the starting point of an exceedingly
complex ecological development chain. As
opposed to the lowland, Hainich and
Kellerwald, which are parts of the Central
European low mountains in plant geographical
sense (MEUSEL et al. 1965), are
home to the Grey-headed Woodpecker
(Picus canus), taking global responsibility for
this species (tab. 2.4). Th e White-backed
Wood pecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), which