Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, Nature reserve in Central Europe

The Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe is a protected forest system spanning multiple countries with beech trees reaching forty meters tall. The network comprises distinct forest sections that together form one of Europe's most important reserves of undisturbed natural woodland.

These forests developed naturally after the last ice age and have maintained their ecosystems for more than ten thousand years without significant human disruption. Natural processes have continued uninterrupted, creating what we see today.

The name of the site changed with its growth: before the 2017 extension it was called "Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Ancient Beech Forests of Germany". The Slovak reserves Havešová, Rožok and Stužica lie in the Bukovské vrchy; Stužica is the only one of the three with hiking trails, and its beech woods return elk and bison.

Only a few of the 94 component parts are open to visitors. Stužica in Slovakia's Bukovské vrchy is the only one of the three Poloniny sites with hiking trails; the Ukrainian Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh unit is the largest contiguous old-growth beech stand. Access is by marked trails only, so check each unit's entry rules before setting out.

The Slovak reserve Havešová, added in 2007, holds beeches up to 54 metres tall, the tallest recorded in the world. The network's largest single component is Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh in Ukraine, 11,860 hectares of continuous old beech forest.