EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

84 NOMINATION DOSSIER "ANCIENT BEECH FORESTS OF GERMANY"
Component part
During the
Pleistocene glacial
epoch
Biogeographic
region / altitude
Jasmund glaciated Central European /
planar
Serrahn glaciated Central European /
planar
Grumsin glaciated Central European /
planar
Hainich tundra vegetation Central European /
colline-submontane
Kellerwald tundra vegetation Central European /
colline-submontane
World Natural
Heritage
"Primeval Beech
Forests of the
Carpathians"
Tab. 3.1: Overview of the
starting conditions of the nominated
component parts and
the Carpathian World Natural
Heritage
The selected component
parts are the paramount
parts of the central beech
distribution area and
cannot be substituted for
with any other areas in the
European nemoral zone.
partially glaciated Carpathian /
(submontane)montane-subalpine
with a host of beech forest types depend ing
on trophic levels, altitudinal level, and
meso-climate. Th is outstanding wealth of
diff erent habitats and shapes of Central
European beech forests, which is a consequence
of their developmental history,
cannot be illustrated if not by nominating
several component parts. For example,
Jasmund, Serrahn, and Grumsin are representative
of the areas which were ice-covered
during the last glacial period. After the
glaciers had retreated, these areas were devoid
of any vege tation and are consequently
fi nal results of the primary succession on
virgin soils taking place in the wake of the
post glacial climate change. In contrast,
Hainich and Kellerwald were part of the
treeless unglaciated Tundra south of the
northern ice sheet. Th e starting point here
was late glacial tundra vege tation. Jasmund,
Serrahn and Grumsin, being planar areas,
Prevalent parent rock
material / trophic level
limestone (chalk), boulder
clay and Pleistocene
sands (meso-)eutrotrophic
base-defi cient Pleistocene
sands / oligotrophic
to mesotrophic
base-rich detrital clays /
(meso-)eutrotrophic
Mesozoic limestone /
(meso-)eutrotrophic
Palaeozoic base-defi cient
siliceous shale and
graywackes / oligotrophic
to mesotrophic
various Mesozoic rocks
(mostly base-rich)
(meso-)eutrotrophic
Special habitats in the
beech forest landscapes
active and inactive cliff s,
forest border habitats
on the seashore, valley
heads, brooks, water rise
mires, and percolation
mires
mires, alder fens, lakes,
small temporary water
bodies
mires, alder fens, lakes,
small temporary water
bodies
periodically aquiferous
brook valleys, depressions
rock and block vegetation,
slope forests, fonts,
brooks, swamps
brook valleys, caverns,
rocks
were more over colonised by deciduous trees
and fi nally by beech markedly later than
the colline-submontane domains of the low
mountain ranges of Hainich and Kellerwald.
Together, they represent the entire
habitat spectrum in the centre of the
beech's natural range in a unique fashion,
from acidic nutrient-poor silicate bedrocks
and sands (Kellerwald, Serrahn) through
basic boulder clay (Grum sin) up to lime
stone (Jasmund and Hainich) (tab. 3.1).
3.a.1 Jasmund
Jasmund is representative of the “beech
forest of the lowlands” type. Its most distinctive
unique feature is the cretaceous
steep coast, which ranks among the most
impressive natural landscapes in Europe,