Workshop of the Delos Initiative during the 2008 Europarc Congress in Transylvania

The Silene Association sponsored the participation of Josep-maria Mallarach, as a representative of the Delos Initiative at two international meetings held in Poiana Brasov (Transylvania, Rumania) at the end of September 2008 – the first Conference of the Network of Protected Areas of the Carpathian Mountains, and the Congress of the Europarc Federation. During the meetings participatory workshops were held on 24, 25 and 27 September.

In  the first Conference of the Network of Protected Areas of the Carpathian Mountains the work of the two-day workshop was centred on the integration of intangible cultural heritage into the planning and management of protected areas. As a result, a strategic proposal was agreed upon by all participants, which was accepted by the Plenary Session of the Conference and integrated into the strategic plan of the Convention of the Carpathian Mountains.

During the annual Europarc Congress a workshop was organised on the Delos Initiative. Its main aim was to present the methodology proposed by the Delos Initiative as a means of encouraging cooperation and positive synergies between managers of the natural, cultural and spiritual heritage of European protected areas. Of particular interest were the numerous protected areas that contain notable spiritual values, which had been highlighted by case studies carried out as part of the Delos Initiative. The possibility of promoting an Interreg project focussing on Sacred natural sites within protected areas covering eight European countries was also debated.