[posted on 04 March 2010]

Proceedings of the Second Workshop of the Delos Initiative

 

 

We are pleased to announce the release of the book ‘The Sacred Dimension of Protected Areas, Proceedings of the Second Workshop of the Delos Initiative’.
The workshop was organised on 24-27 October 2007 in Ouranoupolis, Greece and hosted by Med-INA, in the framework of the IUCN/WCPA Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas.

 

The Ouranoupolis meeting was attended by 22 participants from 11 countries. During the first part of the meeting case studies regarding indigenous peoples and mainstream faiths were presented, which included  Dhimurru in Northern Australia, the San Francisco Peaks of California,  Foreste Casentinesi of Italy,  Jabal Lâ’lam in Morocco, Mani San Mount in South Korea and  Solovetsky Islands of Russia. During the second part of the workshop, the management of monastic lands and facilities was explored, with examples from Mount Athos in Greece,  Buila Vinturarita in Romania, Chryssopigi Monastery in Crete, Greece, Poblet Monastery and Sakya Tashi Ling in Catalonia, Spain and Rila Monastery in Bulgaria. Finally, in the third part of the meeting, the way to achieve synergy between spiritual and conservation concerns was investigated.    The participants explored ways of strengthening the conservation of the natural and spiritual heritage in these and other similar sites, as well as the role the conservation community could play.

 

The publication is available in both paperback and electronic format. If you wish to acquire a copy, please contact the Publications Service of IUCN at books@iucn.org  (website: www.iucn.org/publications) or the Med-INA Secretariat at ilyratzaki@med-ina.org. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[posted on 02 February 2010]

 

The Delos3 Workshop

 

First announcement

 

Conserving the integrity of sacred natural sites in technologically developed countries

 

Inari (Lapland), Finland, 30 June-4 July 2010

 

  

Background:

The Delos Initiative on ‘sacred natural sites in technologically developed countries’ was launched in 2004, in the framework of the Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN/WCPA. The Initiative is co-ordinated jointly by Thymio Papayannis (Med-INA) and Josep-Maria Mallarach (Silene).

 

Two workshops have been organised up to now. Delos1 in Montserrat (Catalonia), Spain on 23-26 November 2006 and Delos2 in Ouranoupolis (Mt Athos), Greece on 24-28 November 2007. Their proceedings were published in 2007 and 2009.

 

Delos3 theme:

‘Conserving the integrity of sacred natural sites in technologically developed countries’

 

Objectives:

The following objectives have been agreed for this third Delos working meeting:

• Respecting sacred natural sites related to indigenous and minority faiths in technologically developed countries (based on the Sámi people in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia).

• Guidance for sustainable management of mainstream holy / sacred lands. more

 

[posted on 23 December 2009]

 

Religion, Science and the Environment Symposium VIII: Restoring Balance: The great Mississippi River (New Orleans, 18-25 October 2009)

 

 

The eighth RSE Symposium ‘Restoring Balance: The great Mississippi River´ took place on 18-25 October 2009 in New Orleans, convened by HAH the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

 

The main target of this eight-day symposium was to raise awareness among the local population, in an attempt to protect the environment. The organization’s core of action is based on the simple belief that science and religion must work in collaboration to secure earth’s welfare. This event brought together environmentalists and religious leaders and provided them with the opportunity to discuss the future of the sensitive water resources and the effect of the climate change on them.

 

The symposium started with the Patriarch blessing the waters of the Mississippi River in the presence of the people that experienced the devastating hurricane Katrina in 2006. Earlier that day a memorial service was held for the victims and their families.

 

 For more information please visit the following webpage

http://www.patriarchate.org/news/releases/symposiumopening20091021 

 

[posted on 23 April 2009]

 

Communicating the spiritual values of European protected areas, International Academy for Nature Conservation, Island of Vilm, Germany

 

 

From 14 to 18 April 2009, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation in cooperation with the Europarc Federation and  organised a workshop on ‘Communicating values and benefits of protected areas in Europe’ at the International Academy for Nature Conservation at the Island of Vilm, Baltic Sea. The workshop was attended by some twenty participants from ten European countries.  A wide range of values were discussed, among them the cultural and spiritual values.

 

The organisation invited the WCPA Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas and the Delos Initiative to discuss the spiritual values. Josep-Maria Mallarach made two presentations based on the experience gained by the Delos Initiative during these last few years: one about the spiritual values of protected areas in Europe, and another about the experience of communicating spiritual values in a subset of protected areas, which include Christian monastic communities, focusing on the case of Montserrat, Spain. 

 

The last session of the workshop was devoted to the preparation of the conclusions, which include a set of recommendations to Europarc, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, WCPA, and the participants. Several recommendations focused on the need to take into consideration the full range of values and benefits, overcoming the trend to focus on natural heritage or economic values. Two recommendations dealt directly with spiritual values:

 

- To Europarc: Develop and disseminate guidance to protected area managers, of issues relating to management and visitor interpretation and communication of spiritual values of protected areas, working with the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values to relate globally developed guidance to the European context.

 

- To the participants of the workshop: Work with the Delos Initiative so as to find representative case studies on outstanding areas where natural, cultural and spiritual values are effectively linked with the management of  protected areas.

 

[posted on 28 January 2009]

 Motions 53 and 121 approved by the IUCN plenary during World Conservation Congress

During the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona last October, The World Commission on the Protected Areas prepared motions 53 and 121, which were later approved by the IUCN plenary, thus became IUCN resolutions.

Motion 53, now Resolution 4.038, concerns the Recognition and Conservation of Sacred Natural sites in Protected Areas, acknowledging the importance of these sites to the protection of nature, being the oldest form of culture-based conservation, both by indigenous and mainstream faiths. It urges Governmental, Non-Governmental Organisations, Agencies and managers to recognise the rights, skills and the knowledge that both indigenous and mainstream custodians and communities have to manage the relevant resources and ecosystems and to confront threats affecting these sites. The Resolution encourages and promotes scientific research, investment in public education and advises resolution of conflicts were they exist. Furthermore, it requests implementation and field-testing of the new Sacred Natural Site guidelines in all categories of IUCN protected areas. See full text in English, French and Spanish.

Motion 121, now Resolution 4.099 regards the Recognition of the diversity of concepts and values of nature. The notion of nature is perceived quite differently in the vast variety of the world’s cultures. Western cultures hold a rather materialistic view of the concept of ‘natura’, especially after the 17^th century and the Cartesian distinction between material and spiritual elements. Other communities, on the other hand, believe that the spiritual realities permeate everything and that humans, nature and the universe share the same material and spiritual dimensions. Seeking the maximum support for nature conservation worldwide, among societies with different worldviews, the Resolution requests the adoption of an inclusive definition of nature in all the IUCN’s future documents and the development of appropriate guidance to recognise fully the diversity of the many concepts of nature in all activities related to conservation and sustainable development. See full text in English, French and Spanish.

 

 

[posted on 15 January 2009]

Seminar in al Hoceima National Park, Morocco

 The 20 and 21 of December a seminar was organised by the Spanish NGO Ecodesarrollo and her Moroccan counterpart, the Azir Association, at Al-Hoceima National Park, Morocco, a stronghold of the Amazig (berber) culture of North Africa.

 

Josep-Maria Mallarach, of the joint co-ordination of the Delos Initiative, was invited by the organisation to speak about recent international developments on cultural and spiritual values of protected areas, especially about the experience of the Task Force of Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas, and the Delos Initiative. Mr. Mohamed Al-Andalousi made a presentation on the ‘sites maraboutiques’ of the National Park, its main features and values.

 

The seminar was attended by some fifty people, including the managers of the National Park, and representatives of the main local authorities and NGOs of the region. Most of the lively debate focused on the significance and threats of the numerous mourabits / amrabd (sacred natural sites) included in Al-Hoceima National Park and around it. These SNS are outstanding on several respects: ecologically they protect the best relicts of the original vegetal communities, which have been severely deteriorated elsewhere. Culturally, they are high sites of history,  memory and identity for the local population over the ages. Most important decisions have been taken around them. Spiritually, they always include tombs of holy people, often in small shrines and some times together with small mosques. A variety of rituals and ceremonies, some still alive are enacted there. The origin of these SNS seems very ancient, pre-Christian in many cases, although all of them have been Islamised.

 

The field trip on the 21 allowed the participants to visit about a dozen of  these SNS, discussing the challenges, strategies and opportunities that exist to foster its conservation and restoration. It was made clear that the strength of the beliefs that supported the conservation of these outstanding SNS for centuries, perhaps millennia, has proven to be more effective than laws or physical walls.

 

The 22, Mr. Soussan Fikrt, regional delegate of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Habous invited Mr. Mohammed Al-Andalousi, President of the Azir Association, Ms. Miriam Zaitegui, of Ecodesarrollo,  and Josep-Maria Mallarach to discuss the conclusions of the seminar. Since the land of most SNS is property of this Ministry, its active involvement is crucial to their safeguard and restoration.

 

 

 

[posted on 16 October 2008]

 

 

IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Barcelona ended its works

 

In the midst of the international Market crisis, 8,000 f the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable development - governments, NGOs, business, the UN and academia- described how important the stop of biodiversity loss is and which are the necessary steps to reduce its impacts, during the World Conservation Congress, 04-15 October, in Barcelona. “We have made substantial decisions here in Barcelona; we’re showing how saving nature must be an integral part of the solution for any world crisis,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 

 

The new IUCN’s president Ashok Khosla stated that with the Union’s scientific knowledge and the governmental willpower, solutions can be put to place and the future can be faced with confidence. Among the Union’s agenda for 2009-2012, a few major and controversial issues were included and will be carefully addressed, such as biofuels, the IUCN’s involvement with the private sector and improvements in governance of the high seas.

 

Most importantly, the Congress gave high priority to vulnerable and indigenous communities’ rights and IUCN’s members requested governments to respect human rights implications during all conservation-related activities.  

 

Moreover, the Congress sent a clear message to the UN’s Climate Change Summit that will take place in Poland in December, demanding for a 50-85% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and keeping rises in temperature below 2° C, in line with the Bali Plan of Action. More information about the WCC in IUCN’s webpage.

 

 

 

[posted on 02 October 2008]

 

Workshop of The Delos Initiative at the Europarc Federation Congress in Transylvania, Romania

 

Ms. Erika Stanciou, president of the Europarc Federation, invited the co-ordinators of the Delos Initiative to lead a workshop in the Congress of the Europarc Federation, held in Poinana Brasov, Transylvania, Romania.

 

The workshop was held the on the 27^th of September. Its main goal was to present the methodology proposed by the Delos Initiative to foster cooperation and positive synergies among the stakeholders of the natural, cultural and spiritual heritage of protected areas that include outstanding cultural and spiritual values. This was followed by a presentation of a selected number of European case studies of The Delos Initiative, which led to the discussion for potential applications in other European protected areas, and discussions on how to move forward, based on the positive outputs of the 1^st Conference of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas (see relevant news article bellow).

 

Based on the suggestions of the participants of Romania, the possibility to prepare an INTERREG project was discussed, focussing on management plans for sacred natural sites located in protected areas of Europe, in which eight European countries could be involved. The Finnish representatives showed great interest, and suggested holding a meeting to prepare this proposal in Finland, during spring 2009.  

 

 

[posted on 02 October 2008]

 

Volume on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Landscapes

 

Volume II of the Series Values of Protected Landscapes and Seascapes will be officially launched on the 10^th of October at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Barcelona. The series explores and documents the various environmental, economic, social and cultural values that Category V protected areas can provide.  

 

The 170 pages volume focuses on the cultural and spiritual values of protected landscapes and Seascapes, and has been edited by Josep-Maria Mallarach. It includes sixteen case studies from all over the world, of which four come from the Delos Initiative network: Simonopetra (Athos, Greece), Vanatori-Neamt (Romania), Poblet Catalonia, Spain) and Jabal La’lâm (Riff, Morocco). Seven authors of chapters are members of the Delos working group.

 

Three of the four Editorial Advisory team members of this volume are members of the Task Force of Cultural and Spiritual Values of protected Areas: Rob Wild, Thymio Papayannis and Fausto Sarmiento.

 

[Posted on 29 September 2008]

 

Including the intangible cultural heritage in the First Conference of Carpathian Network of Protected Areas

 

Following our colleague Sebastian Catanoiu’s suggestion, the organisation of the First Conference of Carpathian Network of Protected Areas and the Europarc Congress, held in Poiana Brasov, Transylvania, Romania, 23-24 October, invited the co-ordinators of the Delos Initiative to lead a workshop on cultural heritage. The Carpathian Framework Convention was ratified by seven parties: Check Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine ( http://www.cnpaconference2008.com/).

 

Two workshops devoted to cultural heritage and local communities of protected areas were led by Josep-Maria Mallarach, assisted by Sebastian Catanoiu (Romania), and Martin Pavlik (Check Republic), member of Alpark, who acted as a rapporteur. During the first workshop, the Delos Initiative was presented as a framework for discussion. The conclusions of both workshops included a synthetic diagnose and a number of proposals to be included in the Draft Work Programme of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas that was discussed by the 90 participants during the Conference. more

 

[Posted on 15 September 2008]

International Conference on Indigenous Sacred and Cultural Sites, 5 - 11 April 09, Cusco, Peru

 

Yachay Wasi, a Non-Governmental Organization in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, is organising an International Conference on Indigenous Sacred and Cultural Sites, in Cusco, Peru aiming at bringing attention to the importance of Indigenous Sacred Sites and the need for their protection by UN member states and the International Community. Among the Conference's major issues will be the protection of diodiversity, the desecration of indigenous remains and their exploitation, sustainable tourism as part of the 7th Millennium Development Goal: Ensuring Environmental Sustainability and the protection of natural resources.

Invited speakers will include representatives of local High Andes Indigenous communities, of international Indigenous communities, of UN agencies such as UNESCO, Secretariat of Convention on Biodiversity and some universities. Cusco, 'Qosqo'  is the ancient capital of the Inka empire 'Tawantinsuyo'. Cusco is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983.

More information can be obtained from this link.

[Posted on 15 September 2008]

 

Sacred natural sites Guidelines by IUCN and UNESCO

Part of the Best Practices Series, this publication aims at improving protection of sacred natural sites within Protected Areas. Thousands of sacred natural sites are in jeopardy around the world, despite the fact that many lie within formal ‘Protected Areas’. The new guidelines are entitled ‘Sacred Natural Sites – Guidelines for Protected Area Managers’ and will be used to share experience with protected area managers and their colleagues around the world who are concerned about and interested in protecting sacred natural sites. The volume will be launched at the upcoming World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain and it can be also downloaded from this link:

 In spite of the interest of this publication, the Co-ordinators of the Delos Initiative feel that it does not address sufficiently the issues related to mainstream faiths and that further work in that direction is needed.

 

 

 

[Posted on 15 September 2008] 

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, Barcelona, 5-14 October 2008

During 5-14 October 2008, more than 8,000 of the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable development gather in Barcelona, Spain: from governments, NGOs, business, the UN and academia. Together in one place for 10 days they will debate, share, network, learn, commit, vote and will make important decisions. Their objective will be to come up with ideas, action and solutions for a diverse and sustainable world.

Three major issues are in the spotlight:

• How we deal with climate change, globalization, and energy demand
• How healthy environments contribute to healthy communities and   economies
• How we safeguard the unique diversity of life in all its forms.

During the Congress, the Delos Initiative was present in one Knowledge Cafe, several Alliance Workshops, the Sacred Natural Sites Custodians Dialogue -organised by the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Protected Areas- as well as other activities arranged by other Themes and Task Forces. It also exhibited a poster portraying the accomplishments attained during the past three years.  

 

 

 

[posted on 24 June 2008]
 

Assessment and technical assistance for management of the site of Moulay ‘Abd al-Salâm ibn Mashîsh and other natural sites with religious values

 

On the kind initiative from CVSPA member Dr Zakia Zouanat, Gonzalo Oviedo and Josep M. Mallarach were invited by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Morocco to visit the site of Moulay ‘Abd al-Salâm ibn Mashîsh, in Jabal La’lâm, Site of Biological and Ecological Interest of Jbel Bouhachem,  to assess the management conditions and provide recommendations for improvement, as well as to more broadly discuss the relevance and opportunities of the protection of sacred natural sites in the context of updating protected area legislation and policies.

 

The team made two field visits to the Jabal La’lâm area, the 9 and 12 of June, and had meetings in Rabat with various government officials, namely the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, the Haut Commissaire des Eaux, Forêts et Lutte contre la Désertification, and the Director of Operations of the Agence pour la Promotion et le Développement Économique et Social des Préfectures et Provinces du Nord. We also met with the Président-Délégué of the Fondation Mohammed VI pour la Protection de l'Environnement –a Foundation presided by HRH The Princess Lalla Hasnaa. more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[posted on 04 June 2008]
 

Initiatives on sacred natural sites in Romania – The Vanatori-Neamt Natural Park

On the 22^nd of May, during a national meeting in Bucharest, in the context of the European Day of Parks, Razvan Deju, member of management team of Vanatory-Neamt Natural Park made a presentation about the Sacred Natural Site concept in general, The Delos Initiative, and the particular application of the SNS concept to Vanatori-Neamt. The Management Plan of the Vanatori-Neamt Natural Park had already adopted the Sacred Natural Site concept in 2007, and the Buila Vanturarita Natural Park, who's Management Plan is currently being finalised, could be the second Romanian site following its example. Both Natural Parks are case studies of The Delos Initiative.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[posted on 04 June 2008]

A holistic approach for the Carpathian Protected Areas

During a Europarc Consulting training course about the elaboration of PA management plans held in Poiana Brasov, Romania, on 22-24 May, the necessity of a holistic approach for natural, cultural and spiritual heritages was presented by Sebastian Catanoiu to representatives of the Carpathian Protected Areas from Poland, Slovakia, and Romania. All of them, as well as the trainers, agreed that the Carpathian Ecoregion, due to the significance of the existing traditions, faiths, and living in sacred places, is a very suitable Ecoregion for implementing this holistic approach.
 

 

 

 

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[posted on 02 May 2008]

 

The Delos Initiative at the International workshop of the Task Force on Protected Landscape, North York Moors National Park, England, April-May 2008

The IUCN-International Task Force on Protected Landscapes, met in Scarborough, North York Moors National Park, England, UK, from 27^th April to 1^st May 2008, hosted by the National Park. Members of the Task Force come from North America, South America and The Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

 

Four people from the Task Force on CSVPA were invited to participate by Jessica Brown, TF leader: Rob Wild, leader, Guillermo Rodrígez-Navarro, deputy-chair; Josep-Maria Mallarach, for the joint co-ordination of The Delos Initiative, and Gloria Pungetti, difector of the Cambridge Centre for Landscape. 

 

Themes of common interest and positives synergies between both Task Forces and the Theme on Indigenous and Local Communities, Equity and protected Areas were present since the beginning of the workshop until the Symposium of the last day, which gathered a good representation of managers from several national parks of England and Scotland. more

 

 

[posted on 21 April 2008]

 

 

18 April 2008 – The International Day for Monuments and Sites on “Religious heritage and sacred places”.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites was established on 18th April 1982, by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and later approved at the 22^nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983.
This year, to mark the 18th April, ICOMOS has organised activities with regards to the theme “Religious heritage and sacred places”. These activities offer an opportunity to raise public awareness about the protection of the cultural and spiritual heritage.

The web site of the ICOMOS is:
www.icomos.org
(English and French version)
 

 

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[posted on 29 February 2008]

 

Serra de Montsant Natural Park approves Recommendations

 

On the 13^th February 2008 the Board of the Natural Park of Serra de Montsant, Catalonia, Spain, decided to unanimously approve the recommendations of the case-study prepared by Jordi Falgarona, Jaume Estarellas and Josep-Maria Mallarach. The approved recommendations include an expansion of the protected area, and 13 significant planning, public use, education and management measures, aiming to improve the effective integration of natural, cultural and spiritual values within the Natural Park.

This positive outcome has been largely the result of Mr. Ricard Pasanau’s (president of the Board) and Ms. Neus’s Miró (management director of the Park) -to whom grateful appreciation is due- recognition of the goals of the Delos Initiative, and the support of the Silene Association. The Natural Park of Serra de Montsant will be one of the three case-studies of The Delos Initiative proposed as field trips to the participants of the Barcelona WCC.

The web site of the Park is: http://mediambient.gencat.net/cat/el_medi/parcs_de_catalunya/montsant/inici.jsp

(English and Spanish version).


 

 

 

[posted on 20 December 2007]

 

Proceedings of the first workshop of the Delos Initiative

 

The Proceedings of the first workshop of the Delos Initiative are now released. The workshop was organised on 23-26 November 2006 in Montserrat Monastery, in Catalonia, Spain and was attended by participants from around the globe. During the workshop 10 case-studies were presented, describing the situation in sacred sites located in Finland, Greece, Japan, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, and the USA. The Proceedings title is Protected Areas and Spirituality and were co-edited by Josep-Maria Mallarach and Thymio Papayannis. The publication is available in both paperback and Cd format. If you wish to acquire a copy, please contact the Publications Service of IUCN" books@iucn.org  at  www.iucn.org/publications. 

 

 

[posted on 28 November 2007]

 

 

The second workshop of the Delos Initiative

 

The second workshop of the Delos Initiative was held on 24-28 October, in Ouranoupolis, a town next to the Holy Mountain of Athos, in Halkidiki, Greece. Thus the Delos Initiative, in the framework of the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN/WCPA, continued its activities after the first successful workshop that was held in November 2006, in the Monastery of Montserrat, Spain.

 

 The Ouranoupolis meeting was hosted by Med-INA and was attended by 22 participants from 11 countries. Among them there were representatives of the Holy Community of Mount Athos, the Halkidiki Prefecture, the Greek Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, as well as members of the conservation and religious communities. The meeting was honoured by a message of blessings and guidance of HAH The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome (click here to read text). more 

 

 

[posted on 05 October 2007]

 

Cambridge Centre for Landscape and People - The 3S Conference

 

The Cambridge Centre for Landscape and People organised in 24-26 September in Cambridge, England, the 3S Conference on Sacred Species and Sites.  The aims of the Conference were:

• to report and discuss on recent research findings related to spiritual values of species and sites

• to improve recognition, understanding and dissemination of the spiritual values of species and sites connected with cultures and traditions

• to promote the integration of these values into policy, planning and management

• to facilitate cross-organisational and interdisciplinary dialogue on these values

• to assist the link between cultural and ecological diversity in landscape and nature conservation

• to demonstrate ways in which sacred species and sites can contribute to conservation biology

• to support cooperation between academics and conservationists working in this area

 

Over 30 experts, from four continents participated in the Conference. Rob Wild,  leader of  Task Force CSVPA and two members of the Delos Initiative, Gonzalo Oviedo and Josep-Maria Mallarach were actively engaged in the discussions. The latter made a presentation about The Delos Initiative. It was decided that the proceedings of the 3C Conference, including a paper about the Delos Initiative, will be published in 2008, by the University of Cambridge.

 

 

 

[posted on 21 June 2007]

 

Vanatori-Neamt Natural Park, Romania - Poster with verses from the Genesis

 

Recently, the Vanatori-Neamt Natural Park in Romania has posted one large panel at the entrance of Secu Valley, including verses from the Book of Genesis, as can be seen in the picture. The idea came from the USA Smoky Mountains National Park experience of displaying panels with Native American beliefs developed by the Sacred Mountains Program, as it was presented in the first workshop of The Delos Initiative, held in Montserrat, in 2006.

 

The panel has been funded as part of the GEF-Small Grant Program project called 'Bison Land - a model of biodiversity conservation' developed by an NGO, and it is the first to include verses from a sacred text to connect the values of nature with the inner beliefs of the visitors. The verses were chosen by the Park Administration.

 

Next year, the Park intends to develop another GEF-SGP project, in which the monasteries and convents located inside the Natural Park are deeper involved as partners with the Park Administration, environmental NGOs and local authorities. As part of this effort, more panels with sacred texts will be posted if funds are available.

 

 

 

 

[posted on 13 June 2007]

 

Poblet Monastery - Catalonia, Spain

 

During the last months the work at the Poblet case study (Catalonia, Spain) has been progressing smoothly, not only regarding the diagnose and recommendations, but for the implementation of some agreed actions.  Successive meetings with the Board authorities, the managers of the Protected Area, and the responsible for the environmental education facilities, have opened new fields for cooperation with the Abbey of Poblet. An agreement between the monastery and the Diputació de Tarragona (provincial government) has been drafted for preparing an environmental audit for the Monastery, which will combine the local agenda 21 methodology with the Cistercian principles. In addition, it has been agreed that a proposal for improving the integration of the spiritual, cultural and natural values of Poblet will be prepared by Silene Association.  It will include a draft plan for a new interpretation centre at the entrance of the Monastery, which is receiving over 150.000 visitors per year.

 

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[posted on 09 May 2007]

 

 

 

 

 

The Delos2 Workshop

 

 

The second Delos workshop will be held in Ouranoupolis, in Northern Greece, close to Mt. Athos on 24-28 October 2007. The first announcement of this workshop has just been published.

 

 

 

 

[posted on 13 April 2007]

 

 

Mission to Sakya Tashi Ling. Inclusion of Tibetan Buddhist Perspective in the Management of the Property of the Monastery and presentation of a new management plan, Garraf Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain  

 

At the Montserrat workshop, a Buddhist monk (Jamyang Richen / Jordi Gómez) asked The Delos Initiative for guidance so as to improve the inclusion of spiritual and cultural values from their interpretation of Tibetan Buddhist traditions into the management plan of the property of Sakya Tashi Ling monastery.  The management plan itself is being prepared by a consulting firm, sponsored by the Fundació Territori i Paisatge. The monastery is located in the center of El Garraf Natural Park, near Barcelona, and is a case study of The Delos initiative. 

 

Isabel Soria volunteered to undertake this task, after her experience on the Holy island of Arran, Scotland (managed by another Buddhist community) with the support of Josep Maria Mallarach. They were invited to stay in the monastery from the 20^th to the 27^th of January 2007, in order to understand the link between nature and Tibetan Buddhist spiritual values. They had the chance to experience daily life in the monastery, to study plans and documentation and to interview the leader and members of the community, as well as other key actors, such as the mayor of the municipality and a number of visitors. more

 

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[posted on 27 March 2007]

 Development, nature and religion conference

 

A conference on the incorporation of sustainable development in the research agendas of religious studies and theology is organised on 28 September 2007, in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, by the Centre for Sustainable Management and Resources.

 

Lately, sustainable development has gained momentum and the role, intentions and motivation of world religions towards the environment is currently under scrutiny. Although all faiths and life philosophies nurture worldviews on the essence of life, humankind and nature, the positive or negative impact of those worldviews on the environment is by no means clear. In order to promote debate on these issues, it is necessary to examine ways to incorporate  sustainable development in theology and religious studies and explore how they can support the conclusions of new evidence of the rapid climate change, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report and media presentations, such as Al Gore’s move An Inconvenient Truth. For more information please visit: http://topshare.wur.nl/naturevaluation/75370.

 

 

 

 

 

[updated on 23 March 2007]

 

 

Working paper on Sacred Sites and Protected Areas to the next IUCN Summit

 

 

On behalf of the IUCN WCPA Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas and The Delos Initiative, B. Verschuuren, J.M. Mallarach and G. Oviedo, members of the Delos working group, will submit a working paper on Sacred Sites and Protected Areas to the next Summit of IUCN Categories of protected areas, to be held in Almería, Spain, from 7-11 May 2007. For more information please visit: http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/theme/categories/summit/summit.html.

 

The working paper proposes that sacred sites (including also sacred natural sites), which fit into national and international definitions of protected areas can, where appropriate, be recognised as legitimate components of protected area systems and can be attributed to any of the six IUCN protected area categories. At the same time, the paper suggests that cultural and spiritual values of protected areas should be better reflected in the whole range of categories, where at the moment are absent from or insufficiently recognised.

 

 

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[posted on 13 December 2006]

 

 

Proceedings of the UNESCO International Symposium on Conserving Cultural and Biological Diversity: the Role of Sacred Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes

 

 

 

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[posted on 12 July 2006]

Mission to the Holy Island of Arran

In June 2006, Isabel Soria Garcia, member of the Delos Initiative, visited the Holy Island of Arran in Scotland. There she stayed in the Centre for World Peace and Health, one of the two centres of the Island, which is the place for interfaith work and retreat.

She interviewed a series of people of several backgrounds; various stakeholders –such as representatives of the Scottish Natural Heritage and the Council of Arran–, religious leaders, persons in charge of the management of the Island, environmentalists, landscapers, volunteers, visitors etc. In addition, she interviewed the participants of the various activities she had the chance to get involved with (such as an initiation to meditation activity, gardening and forestry). This enabled her to gain a deeper view to the relation of sacred issues with the environment. The sharing of firsthand experience and the exchange of knowledge became easier for her. more

 

 

 

 

[posted on 12 April 2006]

Mission to Doñana-El Rocío

From the 23 to 26 of March Jesús García-Varela and Jordi Falgarona-Bosch, members of the Delos Initiative working group, visited the Doñana area, in southwestern Spain, invited by the Dirección General de la Red de Espacios Naturales Protegidos y Servicios Ambientales (RENPSA) of the regional government of Andalusia.

The aim of the mission was to conduct a series of interviews with key stakeholders of the Doñana-El Rocío case study, following the questionnaire of the Pilot Plan. With the help of Águeda Villa, a local geographer who acted as a facilitator on behalf of RENPSA, the mission was able to contact with local authorities (Almonte town Council Major); officers from Doñana National Park and Doñana Natural Park; representatives of the “Hermandad Matriz de Almonte”  y “Hermandad de Villamanrique”, main brotherhoods having different responsibilities on the pilgrimage organization and El Rocío shrine custodianship; heads of research centers, both natural (Estación Biológica de Doñana) and cultural (Centro de Estudios Rocieros, Museo de El Rocío, Universidad de Huelva). more

 

 

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[posted on 27 February 2006]

 

Mission to Mt. Athos

 

The Athos peninsula in Northern Greece has been declared a World Heritage Site in 1982 both for its nature and rich biodiversity and its culture enshrined in the 20 Monasteries that have been established there starting in the 10^th century AD. In addition, the Sacred Mountain maintains a living monastic tradition exceeding a millennium.

 

At the end of January 2006, a UNESCO mission visited Mt. Athos to ascertain the status of the site both from the environmental and the cultural point of view. Christian Manhart represented the World Heritage Centre and professor Herb Stovel the International Council for Monuments and Sites. Med-INA director Thymio Papayannis represented IUCN - The World Conservation Union.

 

The first impressions from this mission were that Mt. Athos faces a number of threats (such as fires, opening of new roads, excessive exploitation of forests and ineffective management of wastes). Serious measures, however, are taken by the Greek state and the Monastic community to resolve these problems and thus to maintain its unique ecological and cultural / spiritual character. 

 

 

 

 

[posted on 24 November 2005]

 Meteora Visit - questionnaire test

 

 

Within the framework of the Delos Initiative, it has been decided to test the questionnaire that was already reviewed by the Task Force members. The central attempt took place in the area of Meteora, which lies at the Thessaly plain, in Greece. On 18-20 November 2005, we paid our first visit to this distinctive UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site that hosts one of the oldest Monastic communities of the country.  

 

The feeling of owe that the breathtaking landscape creates to the visitor can not be described, nor can it be conveyed by photos. Extremely large monoliths rise in the middle of a valley, fringed by rich and colourful vegetation. The site is also a designated NATURA 2000 area, due its exceptional fauna and flora species. On the inaccessible summits of the stone pillars, the Monasteries were built at the beginning of the 2nd millennium A.D. They are unique examples of architecture and remote places of contemplation. more

 

 

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[posted on 21 June 2005]

 

Impressions from a Symposium