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.
Hermitage of St Giovanni all’Orfento. Located at ca. 1220 m ASL in one of the areas of the Park designated as ‘integral reserve’, this is one of the most inaccessible sacred sites in all of the Majella and one of the shelters used by Pietro da Morrone (the ascetic who later become Pope Celestine V) (photo: Fabrizio Frascaroli).
From 12 to 16 June, a group of internationally recognised 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 spiritualties, secular as well as religious.
The workshop will take place at the International Nature Conservation Academy on the Isle of Vilm, Germany, and will be organised in collaboration with the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.
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.
If you are interested in participating and would you like to share your experience and expertise, please contact Bas Verschuuren (CSVPA Co-Chair at basverschuuren[at]gmail.com) or register directly online and we will contact you to let you know if you have been selected to participate: http://www.bfn.de/10990+M52087573ab0.html?&tx_blitzcalendar_pi1%5Bcid%5D=3116
