Sacred Dimensions: Understanding the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas

The introduction sets out the importance of protecting cultural and spiritual values in sacred natural sites. Within the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas a Task Force has been created whose work is dedicated to this question. This body aims to promote the integration of cultural and spiritual values in all dimensions of protected natural areas, from planning and management to evaluation, whenever appropriate. This document then discusses the values of protected natural areas, particularly their intangible values, and goes on to comment on different approaches to this subject. Finally, it discusses a number of projects in sacred natural sites around the world.