From vision to concrete realisation - HNEE concludes InterregCE project BEECH POWER as lead partner

Improving the management quality and effectiveness of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Beech Forests" - this is the main objective of the BEECH POWER project funded by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme. It was led by the Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). The final conference on 29 March 2022 marked the end of the three-year commitment, which began in April 2019 and officially ended on 31 March 2022.

The copper beech grows nowhere else in the world but in Europe. The continuous ecological process of beech forests spreading from small refuges across the continent since the last ice age is of outstanding universal value. For this reason, 94 of these beech forests, spread across 18 European countries, have been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe".

To ensure effective management of such a complex transnational site, strong co-operation both within regions and across borders is essential.

The BEECH POWER project addresses this need by establishing a collaborative platform for stakeholders and harmonising management and conservation efforts across sites and regions. The partnership believes that the key to successful and long-term conservation lies in a community-based approach that emphasises young generations and stakeholder involvement. The project recognised the important role that the neighbouring communities of beech forests can play in the conservation of shared natural heritage and aimed to empower them to actively participate in the development of strategies and support local sustainable development.

The development of various strategic tools as well as the organisation of workshops, trainings and exchanges document the importance and creative power of the BEECH POWER partnership's work: empowering World Heritage Beech Forest communities, strengthening community development processes and taking the steps necessary for real change. Various materials, which are available on the project website , show the experiences gathered and shared by the partners and the joint successes.