Italy is the country with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 58, of which only five are naturalistic: in addition to the ancient beech forests, there is the geology of Etna, the Dolomites, and Mount San Giorgio, as well as the volcanic territories of the Aeolian Islands. This uniqueness makes these woods a different heritage compared to others.

Emphasizing the importance of nature has been a primary mission for UNESCO since 1978, the year in which it began to compile the list of heritages. These forests, however, are not only a heritage of Italy, on the contrary, but the ancient and primordial beech forests of the Carpathians, Alps, and other regions of Europe are located in 18 European countries.