Believing is Seeing: Integrating cultural and spiritual values in conservation management

A report that includes recommendations and directives for aiding the integration of cultural and spiritual values into decision-making in the management of protected natural areas and sacred natural sites. It proposes strategies for integrating cultural and spiritual values into the conservation of natural areas using indicators based on monitoring and evaluation strategies. This report is based essentially on an analysis of various bibliographic sources, case studies, expert workshops, interviews and professional advice published in recent years by numerous authors. The first chapter defines cultural values, cultural values in nature conservation, the evolution of paradigms and the spiritual dimension in conservation management. Chapter two deals with perceptions and the importance of cultural values in nature to the management of ecosystems and protected areas. The third chapter analyses the benefits obtained when sacred natural areas are integrated into conservation policies and the IUCN protected areas classification. Chapter four is an evaluation of a number of management strategies employed in natural sacred areas that have incorporated cultural and spiritual values. The fifth chapter discusses the role of perception in conservation management and selects a number of indicators, compares control strategies, and then proposes a conceptual model for integrating natural and cultural values into conservation management. Finally, the last two chapters include conclusions regarding the evaluation of indicators and management efficiency, and make some final recommendations.