Protected Landscapes and Cultural and Spiritual Values

This monograph discusses the cultural and spiritual values ​​of IUCN Category V protected natural areas, generically called ‘protected landscapes’. Protected landscapes are territories inhabited for centuries, where the main goal of conservation is to maintain the harmonious interaction between local communities and nature, in order to sustain the natural, cultural and spiritual wealth that they treasure, which is not necessarily the case in wilderness or depopulated protected areas. The work presents 18 case studies, selected for their representativeness, from five continents, some formally designated as protected natural spaces (with various legal figures) and others not, with various systems of ownership, governance and management, linked to very different spiritual cultures and traditions, all of which were elaborated with the participation of local experts. The coordinator’s synthesis distills the lessons that the case studies offer and draws from them reflections of global interest in terms of current threats and challenges, the diversity of governance systems and the keys to preserving these values ​​and their external reflection in the landscapes.