Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Strengthening regional development through old growth beech forests in Europe

90,000 hectares of old beech forests, divided into 78 parts in more than 40 protected areas in twelve European countries - This is the most complex international site in the UNESCO portfolio. The World Heritage Site in its current pan-European form exists only since 2017.

Beech forest in Grumsin (Brandenburg, Germany)

© HNEE

It offers a diverse potential for nature conservation and sustainable development of regions and municipalities. However, this potential must develop fur-ther, as the international team, working together in the new EU project "BEECH POWER" for the next three years, is suggesting. For example, local administrative units are confronted with some challenges when it comes to the management of buffer zones, the areas surrounding the protected area.

"In exchange with all stakeholders, such as forest owners and communities, we want to find solutions together in order to develop clear and effective recommendations for action," says HNEE project coordinator Marccus Waldherr.

The project BEECH POWER, under the "Interreg Central Europe" programme, brings together scientists, practical experts and the citizens from the respective regions. The management of the protected areas is to be improved based on three work packages. These include;

• Strengthening the communities around the World Heritage Sites as role models for ecosystem-based sustainable development that benefit from the World Heritage Site.
• Development of a sustainable model for the management of buffer zones around the World Heritage beech forests
• Development of a quality standard and certification system for the management of old beech forests

A first workshop took place in Angermünde (Brandenburg), where various interest groups discussed the further development of the Grumsin beech forest and the way it is anchored in the region. The association Weltnaturerbe Grumsin e.V., whose initiative led to the application for the European BEECH POWER project, also took part in this workshop. Marcus Waldherr says “The project means a concrete implementation of the European idea, since we all live in one and the same ecosystem, for which it is worthwhile to stand up across borders".

About the project:
Duration: 01.04.2019 - 31.03.2022
Funding amount: 1,864,328.98 Euro
Funding programme: Interreg Central Europe (EU) and ILB (Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg)
Project partners: Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (DE), European Wilderness Society (AT), Kalkal-pen National Park (AT), Paklenica National Park (HR), Angermünde Municipality (DE), Slovenia Forest Service (SI), and National Forest Centre (SK)

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Marcus Waldherr
Project coordinator
Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management
Telefon: (03334) 567-284
E-Mail: marcus.waldherr@hnee.de

Weitere Informationen:

https://european-beech-forest.network/ European Beech Forest Network
http://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/BEECH-POWER Interreg Central Europe Priority: Natural and cultural resources
http://www.centreforeconics.org Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management

Annika Bischof M.A. | idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Im Focus: World Premiere in Zurich: Machine keeps human livers alive for one week outside of the body

Researchers from the University Hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, Wyss Zurich and the University of Zurich have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keep them alive outside the body for one week. This breakthrough may increase the number of available organs for transplantation saving many lives of patients with severe liver diseases or cancer.

Until now, livers could be stored safely outside the body for only a few hours. With the novel perfusion technology, livers - and even injured livers - can now...

Im Focus: SuperTIGER on its second prowl -- 130,000 feet above Antarctica

A balloon-borne scientific instrument designed to study the origin of cosmic rays is taking its second turn high above the continent of Antarctica three and a half weeks after its launch.

SuperTIGER (Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder) is designed to measure the rare, heavy elements in cosmic rays that hold clues about their origins...

Im Focus: LZH’s MOMA laser ready for the flight to Mars

One last time on Earth it has been turned on in France in December 2019. The next time the MOMA laser developed by the Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) is going into operation will be on Mars. The ExoMars rover into which the laser is integrated has now successfully passed the thermal vacuum tests at Airbus in Toulouse, France.

For 18 days the ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin was subjected to thermal vacuum tests at Airbus. There, it had to withstand strong changes in temperature and...

Im Focus: Atacama Desert: A newly discovered biocoenosis of lichens, fungi and algae shapes entire landscapes

The Atacama Desert in Chile is the oldest and most arid desert on earth. Organisms living in this area have adapted to the extreme conditions over thousands of years. A research team led by Dr Patrick Jung has now discovered and investigated a previously unknown biocoenosis of lichens, fungi, cyanobacteria and algae. It colonises tiny stones, so-called grit and its need for water is satisfied by fog and dew. These organisms also decompose the rock on and in which they live. The scientists believe that this is how they have shaped the landscape of the Atacama Desert. Their study was published in the renowned scientific journal "Gebiology".

Many desert areas have large black spots in the sand. These spots are mineral deposits, so-called desert varnish. In the Atacama Desert, which can be compared...

Im Focus: Nano antennas for data transfer

For the first time, physicists from the University of Würzburg have successfully converted electrical signals into photons and radiated them in specific directions using a low-footprint optical antenna that is only 800 nanometres in size.

Directional antennas convert electrical signals to radio waves and emit them in a particular direction, allowing increased performance and reduced...