The Jizera Mountains Beech Forests are a national nature reserve in the Liberec Region, part of which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the first natural site from the Czech Republic.
The Jizera Mountains Beech Forests are a national nature reserve in the Jizera Mountains, in the Liberec Region. It is by far the largest protected area in the Jizera Mountains, with an area of 950 hectares [1]. One of the most valuable parts of this area was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List [2].
Inscription on the UNESCO list
The decision on inscription was made by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [2]. According to Czech Television, it is the first site of a natural character from the Czech Republic to be inscribed on this list, and at the same time the first Czech territory that UNESCO has officially declared part of the heritage of all humanity [2].
International serial property
The Jizera Mountains Beech Forests are part of a broader international inscription called Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe [1]. This series comprises a total of 94 component sites in 18 European states [1]. The Czech Republic is represented in this international series precisely by the Jizera Mountains Beech Forests national nature reserve [1]. According to the National Heritage Institute, the series arose through the gradual expansion of cooperation among countries whose aim is the protection of preserved beech forests of the temperate climatic zone [1]. According to the institute, these forests are characterized by a great diversity of ecosystems and by mixed stands of European beech in differing natural conditions [1].
Characteristics of the area
According to the National Heritage Institute, the reserve consists of a forest in which beech predominates, complemented by features significant from a geomorphological point of view [1]. The forest retains natural and near-natural communities of plants and animals bound to this environment [1]. According to the institute, these communities contribute to maintaining and restoring the genetic diversity of native forest trees [1].
Status and protection
The area has the status of a national nature reserve and is located in the Liberec Region [1]. According to the National Heritage Institute, it is by far the largest protected area in the Jizera Mountains, with a total area of 950 hectares [1]. As part of the international series of UNESCO properties, it is subject to protection arising from the World Heritage Convention, on whose list it was inscribed [2].