World Heritage BEECH Forests: emPOWERing and catalyzing an ecosystem-based Sustainable Development

The UNESCO World Heritage Site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” represents the most complex natural site in the UNESCO portfolio – comprising of 78 parts in more than 40 protected areas in 12 countries. While local management units of the parts face similar challenges related e.g. to buffer zone management, the environmental and socio-economic contexts differ considerably on local and national level. 

The BEECH POWER project aims to improve the management quality and effectiveness of this site to safeguard the ecosystem integrity of the single parts by improving capacities and active participation of relevant stakeholders. 

The partners take an ecosystem-based and participatory approach and work on different administrative levels to anchor sustainable regional development and to produce replicable and innovative models for world heritage beech forests and their local surroundings. With guidelines, strategies and recommendations the project will create a “Beech Forest Quality Standard” to support protected area administrations, public authorities and actors from civil society in their daily work.