UNESCO World Natural Heritage Beech Forests. Coordination and development of a transnational management plan 2018-2020

Associated persons Hanns Kirchmeir, Anna Kovarovics, Lisa Wolf
Clients Federal Environment Agency, financed by the Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism and the European Union
Regions Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine
Year 2018

Since July 2017, the Wilderness Area Dürrenstein and parts of the Kalkalpen National Park belong to the transnational UNESCO World Heritage “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”. During a seven-year development process, the University for Sustainable Development in Eberswalde (HNE) and E.C.O. were preparing the nomination of the areas as World Heritage Sites.

In cooperation with the HNE and Andrej Sovinc (WCPA), E.C.O. is now responsible for implementing the specifications of the UNESCO for the World Heritage Site. In total, over 40 protected areas in 12 countries are participating in the World Natural Heritage. The key tasks include the initiation of an Integrated Management System, the management and the development of buffer zones and corridors, the implementation of trainings for protected area managers, tourism and regional development and the cooperation with the other countries of the serial property.