World Heritage Beech Conference 2018

On 23rd July 2018, there will be a conference and international meeting on:

Coordination and Management of World Heritage Sites – The Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe“ 

It will be held in Vienna (Austria), at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism. 

Background

In 2017, the World Heritage Committee inscribed the serial World Heritage of “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” by extending the existing sites in Ukraine, Slovakia and Germany. The site covers 92 000 ha and consists of 78 component parts in more than 40 protected areas in 12 European countries. The IUCN evaluation report of this nomination stated an “unprecedented level of both proposed international cooperation, but also challenge and complexity”. The evaluation highlighted some shortcomings (decision 41 COM 8B.7) and called upon the States Parties to act: 

• consider future enlargement of components (min. size of 50 ha); 
• consider and strengthen the protection level within buffer zones and the improvement of ecological connectivity; 
• ensure appropriate buffer zone management; 
• approve that future extensions exceed minimum requirements; 
• ensure committed funding. 

The conference will include an international perspective, a scientific perspective and a practitioners perspective. It will focus on creating solutions on how to handle the complexity from the three different perspectives. Next steps will also be agreed. 

The European Wilderness Society will attend the conference, and supports the development and cooperation of “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe“.