The old-growth beech forest of Cozzo Ferriero, in Rotonda (PZ), in the heart of the Pollino National Park, has been recognised as a "World Heritage Site" by Unesco.
With this recognition, the ancient beech forest of Cozzo Ferriero has become part of the UNESCO transnational site "The Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe", which includes all the ancient beech forests of Europe that have been declared World Heritage Sites.
To this end, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MIBAC) financed a project for an amount of € 214,500.00 to be shared among the Italian partners: Faggeta Cozzo Ferriero - PN Pollino; Faggete Foresta Umbra - PN Gargano; Cluster Faggete Parco d'Abruzzo (P.N.A.L.M); Faggeta Sasso Fratino (P.N. Foreste Casentinesi); Faggeta Monte Raschio (Bracciano Regional Park and Oriolo Romano Municipality) Faggeta Monte Cimino (Soriano nel Cimino Municipality), in order to draw up a common Management Plan for all the Italian beech woodlands, which includes and sanctions the fundamental principles for a correct management, protection and conservation of these primeval forests.

Each single partner will have to deal with a specific project objective: the Ente Parco Nazionale del Pollino will have to deal with the socio-economic analysis of the existing structures and infrastructures directly connected to each component of the Beech Forests Vetuste Serial Site declared UNESCO World Heritage Site and of the main tourist fruition modalities. This analysis will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Viterbo, in particular with the Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Enterprise of the University of Tuscia (DEIM).