Law to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of Spain

The purpose of the law 10/2015 is to regulate action by public authorities in Spain aimed at safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of their specific areas of responsibility. The law states that intangible cultural heritage should be considered as the practices, exemplifications, expressions, knowledge and skills that communities, groups and, in some cases individuals, possess that they recognize as an integral part of their cultural heritage. Examples include d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe and g) the specific use of natural landscapes. Article 3 details the general principles of the actions aimed at safeguarding this heritage that public authorities must respect. Finally, this law also contemplates the approval of a new National Plan for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, as well as the creation of a Spanish General Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

It is worth recalling that the previous National Plan contained almost no references to the natural world.  Hence, the proposed changes are quite significantly positive.