EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

Monitoring the outstanding universal value
has been harmonised between the fi ve
German component parts of the extension
nomination and the existing World Natural
Heritage property in Slovakia and Ukraine.
Both the survey methodology and the data
management form are standardised.
A corresponding methodology manual will
be developed at a national and trilateral
level after the extension nomination will
have been sucessfully inscribed.
6.a Key indicators for
measuring the state of
conservation
Th e key indicators have been selected so that
they are largely congruent with the variables
monitored in the Carpathian beech forests
(tab. 6.6). Th is allows for the developments
in the beech forest core area in Germany
to be directly compared and depicted with
the World Natural Heritage of the Carpathians
located on the eastern edge. Especially
the impact of climate change on the
nominated component parts can be tracked
in this way.
Th e structural dynamics of the forest populations
are in the focus of the monitoring
processes. Likewise signifi cant are index
numbers descriptive of the climate development
and the changing of fauna and fl ora.
Both visitor infl uence and public relation
activities are each monitored by way of three
meaningful variables.
General environmental parameters
In Germany, temperature, precipitation,
wind directions and force, solar irradiation,
atmospheric humidity, and atmospheric
pressure are continuously monitored through
a close meshed network of climate stations.
To the extent there are no dedicated climate
station within the territories, the data of
the nearest weather station are evaluated.
Geographical parameters
Relevant parameters such as area size, degree
of fragmentation, and lengths of paths of
every description are monitored on the
basis of aerial images and the existing GIS
data supplied by the cartographic institutes
of the Länder.
Water chemism
During the last decades, nutrient and acid
contamination has had a substantial impact
on the development of many ecosystems.
Th is led to nutrient enrichment, soil acidifi -
cation, and discharge most notably of nitrate
and heavy metals into the groundwater
in a number of locations in Germany. Th is
aspect therefore justifi es intensive monitoring.
Forest structure
In particular the forest structure has been
subject to intense dynamics up to the present
day due to the peculiar history of the nominated
component parts. Th is factor is also
taken into account in the monitoring. Th e
forest structure building up is surveyed
based on living trees and dead wood. Neither
the living biomass nor the spatial arrangement
of the trees or the dead wood mass
remains constant. Th ese structural variables
are subject to high natural yet cyclic dynamics
even in autoch thonous natural forests.
Alongside with species monitoring, the
natural structural cycles and developments
rank among the most important monitoring
contents. Th is is because the vegetation
dying off and the dead wood subsequently
naturally decomposing forms the basis for
6. MONITORING
The outstanding universal
value is monitored in coordination
between the
component parts and the
existing World Natural
Heritage property in Slovak
Republic and Ukraine.
Left:
Tab. 6.6: Indicators including
methodology and periodicity
Nationale
Naturlandschaften
159