EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

forests the last witnesses of Central
Europe’s natural vegetation, which has
been prevailing since the beginning of
the subatlantic period and under today's
climate conditions, and conse quently
representatives of nemoral deciduous
forest biomes.
3. Th e European beech forests are an outstanding
and unique example for the
extra ordinary regeneration power and
for the survival to the present day of a
climax ecosystem with longstanding
habitat tradition. Th is includes distinct
structures and processes typical for original
wilderness despite fragmentation
partly ending in isolation within extensive
land scapes with a long history of settlement.
4. Beech forests are an outstanding example
for climate eff ecting ecosystem services
with the ongoing carbon fi xation in growing
biomass and the ongoing and permanent
carbon storage in the humus of
soil. Th ey also represent the ability of
nemoral deciduous forest ecosystems to
regeneration of degraded soils with revitalisation
of their ecosystem functions
in unique manner.
Together with the World Natural Heritage
“Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians”,
the nominated “Ancient Beech Forests of
Germany” tell a comprehensive and concise
tale of how the post-glacial forests have
been developing in Europe. With the nominated
component parts, the “Primeval
Beech Forests of the Carpathians” are substantially
complemented by the following
important aspects that are indispensable
to understand the history and development
of European beech forests and remain
uncovered by the inscribed World Heritage
property:
• the completion of the history of postglacial
areal expansion
• the completion of the altitudinal gradient
from the seashore to the submontane belt
• the addition of the best remaining
examples in the geographical heartland
of beech distribution
• the enlargement of the ecological spectrum
with signifi cant regional, biogeographical
and ecological diff erent beech
forest types and their specifi c plant
and animal life, cover ing the main part
of the autochthon Central European
biological diversity
• the involvement of specifi c compartments
of typical landscape-ecological complexes,
e. g. sea shore cliff s, mires, lakes, streams,
rocks, boulder fi elds as last remnants
of Central European ancient deciduous
forest landscape.
• the gene pool within one and the same
species Fagus sylvatica.
From the perspective of developmental
history, beech forests, as a large-area climax
vegetation, are a postglacial and geograph ically
European phenomenon.
Th roughout its natural range – spanning
all altitudinal levels in Central Europe – the
beech shows a tendency toward a unique
dominance and formation of pure stands.
Th ese are defi nitely the prevalent natural
vegetation in Central Europe including the
Carpathians, in most of Western Europe,
and throughout Southern Europe’s mountain
ranges, where they assume diff erent
forms. A globally unpar alleled feature is the
European beech forests refl ecting the biological
potential to naturally populate and
shape major areas under unfavourable
migratory conditions.
As a result of its widespread distribution over
a number of degrees of latitude, from
the planar to the montane altitudinal belts,
and its broad habitat amplitude, there are
multiple biogeographic beech forest regions
3. JUSTIFICATION FOR INSCRIPTION
The serial nomination of
the “Ancient Beech Forests
of Germany” at the heart
of the natural range of European
beech forests contains
the most prominent
examples of the evolutionary
and ecological development
processes of the
nemoral deciduous forests
which have been in progress
since the last ice age
and display the features
mentioned above in an
exemplary way.
Among nature’s most outstanding
creations are the
beech forests in postglacial
Europe, which developed
in a very short period of
time by immigration of the
beech (Fagus sylvatica).
Together with the Carpathian
primeval forests, the
German component parts
attest to the ongoing
developmental process in
the scope of which the
beech has come to dominate
the tree layer, and
has formed species-rich
biocoenoses.
Nationale
Naturlandschaften
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