Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe is a transnational composite nature UNESCO World Heritage site, encompassing forests in 12 European countries.

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Stužica primeval forest
Location(see map)
CriteriaNatural: 
Reference1133ter
Inscription2007 (31st session)
Extensions2011 and 2017

The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians include ten separate massifs located along the 185 km (115 mi) long axis from the Rakhiv mountains and Chornohora ridge in Ukraine over the Poloniny Ridge (Slovakia) to the Vihorlat Mountains in Slovakia. The Ancient Beech Forests of Germany include five locations, cover 4,391 hectares and were added in 2011.

The Carpathian site covers a total area of 77,971.6 ha (192,672 acres), out of which only 29,278.9 ha (72,350 acres) are part of the actual preserved area, while the rest is considered a "buffer zone". Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians cover areas of Zakarpattia and Prešov Regions. Over 70% of the site is located in Ukraine. The area includes two national parks, and some habitat controlled areas, mostly in Slovakia. Both national parks, along with a neighboring area in Poland, compose a separate biosphere reserve, the East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. Besides Havešová, Rožok, and Stužica (all of them located in Bukovské vrchy), there is a fourth component situated in Slovakia, named Kyjovský prales of Vihorlat. Ukrainian locations include Chornohora, Kuziy-Trybushany, Maramarosh, Stuzhytsia–Uzhok, Svydovets, and Uholka–Shyrikyi Luh. Only a few of the ten components are accessible to visitors. Stužica is the only one of three locations in Bukovské vrchy (Slovakia) with available hiking trails. In 2017, UNESCO extended the site, adding forests in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain.[1][2]

The last intact virgin forest in the temperate latitudes of Europe is to be found in the Carpathians. Trees can live to a hundred years old in these forests, providing an important habitat for organisms such as mushrooms, moss, lichen, insects, rare birds (e.g. capercaillie and black grouse) and mammals (e.g. bats, brown bear, wolf and lynx). Large parts of the forest in the Romanian part of the Carpathians have been lost due to deforestation. The pressure on timber as a resource may increase due to international demand and European companies may start large-scale felling in neighbouring Ukraine. Currently unprotected areas of virgin forest can be permanently preserved in the Ukrainian Carpathians by expanding and reinforcing conservation areas. In the Ukrainian Carpathians there are nine national parks and two biosphere reserves. There is a general ban on tree felling in coniferous forest areas above 1,100 metres. If park administrations are shown to work, management of larger, previously unprotected areas of virgin forest to preserve them on a permanent basis, may occur. There are roughly 100,000 additional hectares of forest which could be integrated into the existing conservation areas.[3]

Forests

Location of the Primary Beech World Heritage Sites in Europe.
Protected siteType of natural reserveRegionCountryProtected areaBuffer zone
Lumi i GashitValbonë Valley National ParkKukësAlbania1261,52 ha8977,48 ha
RrajcaShebenik-Jablanica National ParkElbasan2129,45 ha2569,75 ha
Nationalpark KalkalpenNationalpark KalkalpenUpper AustriaAustria1867.45 ha[4]1545.05 ha[4]
Dürrenstein ForestDürrenstein ForestLower Austria, Styria2946.2 ha[4]14197.24 ha[4]
Sonian ForestSonian ForestBrabantBelgium269,31 ha4650,86 ha
Central Balkan National ParkCentral Balkan National Parkcentral Balkan MountainsBulgaria10988,91 ha11720,85 ha
Paklenica National ParkPaklenica National ParkLika-Senj, ZadarCroatia2031,78 ha810,11 ha
Hajdučki and Rožanski strict reservationsNorthern Velebit National ParkLika-Senj1289,11 ha9869,25 ha
JasmundJasmund National ParkMecklenburg-VorpommernGermany492,5 ha2510,5 ha
SerrahnMüritz National Park268,1 ha2568 ha
Grumsiner ForestGrumsiner Forest Nature ReserveBrandenburg590,1 ha274,3 ha
HainichHainich National ParkThuringia1573,4 ha4085,4 ha
KellerwaldKellerwald-Edersee National ParkHesse1467,1 ha4271,4 ha
Cervara ValleyParco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e MoliseAbruzzoItaly119,7 ha751,61 ha
Moricento Forest192,7 ha751,61 ha
Coppo del Morto104,71 ha415,51 ha
Coppo del Principe194,49 ha446,62 ha
Val Fondillo325,03 ha700,95 ha
Cozzo FerrieroPollino National ParkCalabria, Basilicata95,74 ha482,61 ha
Foresta UmbraGargano National ParkApulia182,23 ha1.752,54 ha
Cimino MountCimino MountAbruzzo, Lazio57,54 ha87,96 ha
Raschio MountRegional Natural Park of the Bracciano-Martignano lake complexLazio73,73 ha54,75 ha
Sasso FratinoForeste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National ParkEmilia-Romagna, Tuscany781,43 ha6.936,64 ha
Cheile Nerei-BeușnițaCheile Nerei-Beușnița National ParkCaraș-SeverinRomania4292,27 ha5959,87 ha
Şinca secular forestŞinca secular forestBrașov338,24 ha445,76 ha
Slătioara secular forestSlătioara secular forestSuceava609,12 ha429,43 ha
CoziaCozia National ParkVâlcea109,58 ha14253 ha
Domogled – Valea CerneiDomogled-Valea Cernei National ParkMehedinți, Caraș-Severin, Gorj9732,26 ha51461,28 ha
Groșii ȚibleșuluiGroșii Țibleșului National ParkMaramureș346,37 ha563,57 ha
Izvoarele NereiSemenic-Cheile Carașului National ParkCaraș-Severin4677,21 ha2494,83 ha
Strîmbu BăiuțStrîmbu Băiuț National ParkMaramureș598,14 ha713,09 ha
Stužica – Bukovské vrchyPoloniny National Park*PrešovSlovakia2950 ha11300 ha
RožokPreserved areas of Prešov67,1 ha41,4 ha
Vihorlat2578 ha2413 ha
Havešová171,3 ha63,9 ha
Forest reserve of the Virgin Forest of KrokarForest reserve of the Virgin Forest of KrokarKočevjeSlovenia74,50 ha47,90 ha
Snežnik–Ždrocle forest reserveSnežnik–Ždrocle forest reserveIlirska Bistrica, Loška Dolina720,24128,80
Tejera Negra BeechSierra Norte de Guadalajara Natural ParkCastile-La ManchaSpain255,52 ha13880,86 ha
Montejo BeechBeech area of Montejo de la SierraCommunity of Madrid71,79 ha13880,86 ha
Lizardoia Integral ReserveIrati ForestNavarre63,97 ha24494,52 ha
AztaparretaIntegral Reserve of the Ravine of Aztaparreta171,06 ha24494,52 ha
Cuesta Fría BeechAyllónCastile and León213,65 ha14253 ha
Canal de AsotínPicos de Europa National Park109,58 ha14253 ha
ChornohoraCarpathian Biosphere ReserveZakarpattiaUkraine2476,8 ha12925 ha
Uholka – Shyrikyi Luh11860 ha3301 ha
Svydovets3030,5 ha5639,5 ha
Maramarosh2243,6 ha6230,4 ha
Kuziy – Trybushany1369,6 ha3163,4 ha
Stuzhytsia – UzhokUzhanian National Nature Park2532 ha3615 ha
GorganyGorgany Nature ReserveIvano-Frankivsk753,48 ha4637,59 ha
RoztochyaRoztochya Biosphere ReserveLviv384,81 ha598,21 ha
Satanіvska DachaPodilski Tovtry National Nature ParkKhmelnytskyi212,01 ha559,37 ha
SynevyrNational Nature Park SynevirZakarpattia2865,04 ha2181,74 ha
Zacharovanyi KraiZacharovany Krai National Nature Park1258,13 ha1275,44 ha

* – Most of the Slovak components of the World Heritage site are situated in the Poloniny National Park in the easternmost and also the least populated part of the country. The National Park was created on 1 October 1997 with a protected area of 298.05 km² and a buffer zone of 109.73 km².

Tentative list

In 2018 and 2019, several more forests were placed on the World Heritage Tentative list as a proposal for the expansion of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe site. Forests included on the Tentative list are:

In Serbia[5][6]

  • Nature Reserve “Vinatovača”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Busovata”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Felješana”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Kukavica”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Golema reka”
  • Nature Reserve “Danilova kosa”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Iznad Tatalije”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Zelenika”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Zeleničje”
  • Special Nature Reserve “Mala Jasenova Glava”
  • Strict Nature Reserve “Vrh Željina-Pločka Čuka”
  • Fruška gora cluster (Level I Protection Regime localities "Papratski do" and "Ravne")
  • Tara National Park
    • Level I Protection Regime locality "Zvezda"
    • Level I Protection Regime locality "Klisura Rače"
  • Kopaonik National Park
    • Level I Protection Regime locality "Kozije stene"
    • Duboka i Brzećka reka cluster (Level I Protection Regime localities "Metođe", "Jelak" and "Duboka")

In Montenegro[7]

In Switzerland[8]

  • Forêt de la Vallée de Lodano
  • Forêt de la Bettlachstock

In Bosnia and Herzegovina[9]

In Poland[10]

In North Macedonia[11]

In Italy[12]

In Slovakia[13]

In Czechia[14]

In France[15]

  • Aigoual biological strict reserves
  • Chapitre- Petit-Buech biological strict reserve
  • Fontainebleau biological strict reserves cluster - Tillaie, Gros-Fouteau, Chene Brule, Gorge aux Loups, Vallee Jauberton, Beorlots, Rocher de Ia Combe
  • Massane and Moixoses reserves
  • Py-Pas de Rotja national natural reserve
  • Sainte-Baume biological strict reserve
  • Saint-Pe-de-Bigorre biological strict reserve
  • Sylve d'Argenson biological strict
  • Forest in Stuzica
  • Havešová
  • Stužica
  • Freshwater stream in Stužica
  • Stužica

References
  1. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". UNESCO.
  2. "Unesco approves the extension of the Carpathian Primary Beech forests".
  3. "Protecting virgin forest in the Ukrainian Carpathians".
  4. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  5. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (Serbia)". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  6. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (Serbia)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  7. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (Montenegro)". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  8. "Forêts primaires et anciennes de hêtres des Carpates et d'autres régions d'Europe (Switzerland)". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  9. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (Bosnia and Herzegovina)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  10. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (Poland)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  11. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (North Macedonia)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  12. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (Italy)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  13. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (Slovakia)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  14. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (Czechia)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  15. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - extension (France)". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
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