Workshop on the Cultural and Spiritual Significance of Nature in the Governance and Management of Protected and Conserved Areas
Island of Vilm, Germany16-20 August 2017
Culture and spirituality are among the strongest personal drives and motivators for nature conservation yet they are not often taken into account in the governance and management of protected areas.
From 12 to 16 June, a group of internationally recognized conservation and heritage experts will discuss how the cultural and spiritual significance of nature can be integrated and strengthened in protected areas and World Heritage sites across the world. Their aim is to further the development of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Best Practice Guidelines and training modules on the cultural and spiritual significance of nature for those working in the governance and management of protected and conserved areas.
Led by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas (CSVPA) the guidelines are expected to be completed by December 2017 and this workshop is part of a wide participatory process to gather inputs from around the world, representing the diversity of protected and conserved areas, as well as the diversity of cultures and spiritualities, secular as well as religious. The workshop is coordinated by Bas Verschuuren, Josep-Maria Mallarach and Edwin Bernbaum.
The workshop will take place at the International Nature Conservation Academy on the Isle of Vilm, Germany, and will be organised with the suport of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the collaboration of Silene Association.
The participants of the workshop will:
– Review and comment on the draft of the Best Practice Guidelines ahead of the workshop,
– Participate in working groups to further develop critical areas of the Best Practice Guidelines text,
– Identify, analyse and present case studies and examples that fit with specific guidelines, and
– Develop a strategy for addressing training needs through the further development of training modules.
More information: Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas>> Workshop on Spiritual Values of Protected Areas in Europe on the Isle of Vilm (Germany), November 2011
