World Heritage Beech Forests: sustainable use at the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site

By incorporating the primeval beech forests in the Carpathians in Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as five German beech forest areas, in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the global importance of these natural forests as a natural heritage for humanity was recognised. An exchange of information between the individual protected areas was to be initiated by means of this project in order to strengthen the management of the world heritage. The network of experts and protected area managements, which was developed in the course of the process, dealt with the following topics: Socio-economic aspects of buffer zone management Communication and raising awareness Creation of structures for training and capacity building