Intangible heritage: cultural and spiritual values. Manual for its introduction into protected areas of Spain

After 18 months work, the Fundación Fernando Gonzalez Bernáldez has published Patrimonio inmaterial: valores culturales y espirituales. Manual para su incorporación en las áreas protegidas, [Intangible Heritage: Cultural and Spiritual Values. Manual for its introduction into Protected Areas] a project backed by the Silene Association in collaboration with the Europarc-Spain Technical Office, and sponsored by the CatalunyaCaixa Foundation and the Cabildo of Tenerife.

This is the first manual to be released in Europe on the question of intangible heritage in protected natural areas. The main authors are Josep-Maria Mallarach, Eulàlia Comas and Alberto de Armas, but the publication also includes contributions from over 40 experts from planning and management bodies in protected natural areas linked with 12 Spanish regions, the Spanish government and various NGOs. Javier Puertas, Marta Múgica of the Europarc-Spain Technical Office coordinated the publication of the manual.

This manual presents the background to the question at international and European levels, sets out the criteria and methodologies needed for addressing the study and diagnosis of intangible heritage in relation to natural heritage and its values, and provides numerous recommendations for incorporating these values into all stages of protected natural areas, from declaration and definition, to management and evaluation. It includes ten case studies, references, a glossary and a list of over one hundred initiatives and experiences regarding intangible heritage that have been developed in Spain.

The work is dedicated to the memory of Jordi Falgarona Bosch (1960–2010), the former president of the Silene Association and an enthusiastic supporter of the importance of intangible heritage in protected natural areas.

The manual has twice been presented in public, on 7 September in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, and on 20 September in Barcelona, Catalonia.

The book can be downloaded from the Silene documentation centre.