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Welterbekomittee erkennt Alte Buchenwälder Deutschlands als Welterbe an
05. Juli 2011
Deutsche Delegation in Paris
Mit Spannung erwarteten die Beteiligten von Bund und Ländern, aber auch die Bürger und Verbände in den Regionen, nach dem mehrjährigen Nominierungsprozess die Entscheidung des Komitees. Vertreter von BMU, BfN und den beteiligten Bundesländern haben an der Sitzung in Paris teilgenommen, um den Fragen der Komiteemitglieder Rede und Antwort zu stehen. Als am 25. Juni im Pariser UNESCO-Hauptquartier die Entscheidung des Komitees fiel, war der Jubel groß.
In Ihrer Rede an das Welterbekomitee bedankte sich die deutsche Delegation mit folgenden Worten:
"Dear Madam Chair, honoured members of the Committee,
On behalf of the State Party of Germany I would like to express our gratitude to the Committee for having accepted the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany as Extension to the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians on the World Heritage List. We are proud to be part of the global community of World Heritage sites. At the same time we are aware of the responsibility that is placed upon us to protect and sustainably manage its outstanding universal values, now and for generations to come. We would also like to express our deep gratitude to our partner countries the State Parties of the Slovak Republic and Ukraine for the trustful cooperation we have jointly developed over the recent four years. From our point of view, this cooperation is one of the most beautiful and useful aspects. The inscription fills with joy. It was not easy because four different federal states had to work hard to nominate five areas. But we managed with the support of our partner countries. We would like to thank IUCN for its critical but always constructive dialogue and extraordinary professionalism throughout the evaluation. By your decision to extend the existing world heritage property so as to include the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany on the World Heritage List a journey will continue that started already some years ago. We are fully committed to maintain and enhance the values of the property for future generations of the world. Furthermore we are ready to contribute to work towards the overall goal of a complete Beech Forest property with others, if they so wish. We are convinced to finally reach this goal with your and IUCN’s invaluable backing and support. A first meeting to further stir the process has already been announced and will take place on 10 to 14 November this year on the island of Vilm.
Beech Forests are a unique natural heritage. Mighty silver-gray trunks bear a canopy the aesthetics of which are without parallel throughout the year.
You are cordially invited to visit the Beech Forests of Germany and I am sure also those in Ukraine and Slovakia to enjoy their mystic and inspiring atmosphere.
Thank you very much! Danke schön!"