Cultural and Spiritual Values in the preservation of mature forests of Catalonia.

The Silene Association, together with the Institució Catalana d’Història Natural (the Catalan Academy of Sciences) has published the first book devoted to the most beautiful and ancient forests of Catalonia: mature forests. The complexity of these forests is unmatched and exceptional since they are home high levels of biodiversity and have great scientific value. It is no accident that have been revered for millennia and are considered to be sacred, enchanted and mysterious places. In modern times it has been confirmed that they also have surprising therapeutic properties.

This book is a compendium of the papers presented at the Second Workshop on Mature Forests in Catalonia, which took place in April 2013 in Santa Coloma de Farners, as well as the conclusions that were produced. The book discusses the values and importance – natural, cultural and spiritual – of mature forests in Catalonia, including the value of silence. It analyses the state of these forests, current trends, their ecological function, why they are cut down, and responses from various agencies aimed at identifying, studying and safeguarding these forests. It provides good examples of forest reserves and shows the danger they are in due to the lack of effective protection.

All who love or who are attracted by our magnificent ancient forests and majestic trees will enjoy this book, which also includes evocative images and poems.

The book can be freely downloaded (in Catalan) from the Silene documentation centre.