Beech forests as world heritage in aspect to the next extension of the ancient and primeval beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe world heritage site

Abstract

Beech forests were first protected under the World Heritage Convention in 2007 as the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (Slovakia and Ukraine). After two latter extensions in 2011 and 2017, the Natural World Heritage site is currently named the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine) and consists of 78 component parts in 12 European countries. It aims to ensure the preservation of beech gene pool, ecosystem and species diversity of beech forests, their future renewal and expansion, in regard to the development and use pressures they encounter and the biodiversity they support. Additionally, this World Heritage site aims to depict the beech expansion after the last Ice Age, spreading over a large percent of the continent to form one of the most significant forest ecosystems in Europe. The third extension nomination has been developed in 2020 and proposes the inscription of additional 30 component parts, a considerable step towards the complete overall picture of post-glacial beech re-colonization process and beech ecosystem diversity across Europe. With this extension 8 additional European countries would join this property, including the Republic of Serbia. The extended property would consist of over 100 component parts in 20 European countries, a pan-European network of protected areas with joint protection and management goals to represent a platform for policy making and knowledge exchange. This paper presents the genesis of this extremely complex World Heritage property and the work done to expand it over the protected beech forests in Serbia, in preparation of the first Natural World Heritage nomination for the Republic of Serbia.