L’espiritualitat en la protecció del patrimoni natural: història i perspectives

After examining the svope of the concept of natural heritage, the paper offers a retrospective history of nature conservation models based on spiritual values, until the end of the Ancien Régime. It presents the main types of natural protected areas that have been developped as a reaction to the destructive processes unleashed in the industrial revolution and comments on their limitations and inadequacies. Next, it summarizes some positive reactions during the last two decades, aimed at recovering a more holistic approaches to heritage, recognizing the value of models based on traditional governance systems, grounded in cultural and spiritual values, and draws some conclusions. It is a synthesis of the author’s works that had been published mainly in English over the last fifteen years.