Sacred Natural Sites at the International Forum on Habitat Conservation in the Barents Euro-Artic Region

The Government of the Arkhangelsk Region, together with five Russian and Scandinavian institutions, organized the 6th International Contact Forum on Habitat Conservation in the Barents Euro-Artic Region in the city of Arkhangelsk, the capital of Northwest Russia, from May 31st – June 5th.

Several sessions were dedicated to dealing with sacred natural spaces and to examine the cultural and spiritual values of its conservation. Josep-Maria Mallarach, director of Silene Association and one of the coordinators of The Delos Initiative, gave one of the welcoming speeches and made a presentation in the session devoted to Synergies between natural and spiritual heritage, about The Delos Initiative. This session was coordinated by Dr. Alexander Davydov, Head of the Laboratory of Nature Protected Areas and Ecology of Culture, Institute of Ecological Problems of the North, Russian Academy of Sciences, who is also a member of the The Delos Initiative. The session also featured experts from Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia, including one of the leaders of the project on Sacred Places in the Arctic, Mr. Sune Sohlberg.

The Resolution signed the last day of the Forum encouraged the integration of cultural and spiritual values in protected areas,  the application of the 2008 UNESCO-IUCN Guidelines for Sacred Natural Sites, and supported The Delos Initiative and its next workshop to be held in Inari, Finland, on July 2010.