The Forum Islamic Perspectives on Ecosystem Management

The Second Forum of the Quranic Botanical Garden of Doha, Qatar, gathered specialists in Islam and other faiths, ecologists, ecosystem managers, and scholars of other relevant disciplines to exchange ideas and experiences about future programs to serve the objectives of the Quranic Botanic Garden and the Commission on Ecosystem Management.

The sessions of the Forum discussed Islamic principles, values and ethics that promote the conservation of plants, cultural traditions and ecosystems. The contributions by the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management explored broader relationships between faith and spirituality and the natural environment, and how this relationship can provide a basis for conservation. Some sessions explored how links between traditional knowledge and ecosystem conservation, as well as the links between botanical gardens and ecosystem and landscape restoration. Finally, certain contributions focussed in the plants in the Quran and the goals of the Qur’anic Botanic Garden of Doha.

Two members of the Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas participated in this event: Gonzalo Oviedo, IUCN senior advisor on social policy, and Josep-Maria Mallarach, member of the Steering Committee of Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas, and joint-coordinator of The Delos Initiative.

More information: Qur’anic Botanic Garden