Second international workshop of the Delos Initiative

The second workshop of the Delos Initiative, organized by Med-INA (Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos) with the collaboration of the Silene Association, took place at the Eagle Palace hotel in Ouranoupolis, a border town with the monastic republic of Athos, Northeast Greece, from October 24 to 28, 2007.

Throughout the workshop, 12 case studies were presented and analyzed in 10 countries (Romania, Greece, United States, Italy, Spain, Australia, Russia, Morocco, South Korea, Bulgaria) Lessons that help develop guidelines for sacred natural spaces in technologically developed countries. The case of the monastic republic of Mount Athos or Holy Mount (Agion Oros) was treated with special depth.

In addition to collaborating in the organization of the workshop and in the edition of the volume of the acts, the Silene Association prepared and presented three case studies, those of the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet (Catalonia), the of the Buddhist monastery Sakya Tashi Ling (Catalonia) and the one of the orthodox monastery of Rila (Bulgaria).

The interest of participants and observers focused on finding ways to strengthen the joint conservation of natural and spiritual heritage in case studies. The conclusions of the workshop are included in the Declaration of Ouranoupolis, a document that synthesizes the lessons and summarizes the agreements adopted in the workshop, regarding the management of monastic territories, as well as providing guidelines for the conservation of natural spaces sacred in technologically developed countries; in addition to actions that the Delos Initiative can carry out at the IUCN World Nature Conference in October 2008.

It is fair to emphasize the message sent by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, encouraging and congratulating the organizers of the workshop to include guidelines aimed at the careful management of monastic territories, which appears as a preface to the volume of acts.