Josep-Maria Mallarach

Josep-Maria Mallarach

I am based in Catalonia, working as independent environmental consultant, with over 30 years of experience, for public agencies and private organizations, at international, national and local levels. My fields of expertise include protected areas planning, management and evaluation, landscape, ecological connectivity and strategic impact assessment. I am a frequent lecturer and teaching in several universities of Spain.

Since 2004 I have been member of IUCN WCPA, actively involved in the Steering Committee of the IUCN WCPA Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas, the Protected Areas Effectiveness Evaluation Working Group, the Protected Landscape Task Force.

Since 2005 I have been the joint co-ordinator of The Delos Initiative (with Thymio Papayannis. The same year, with the late Jordi Falgarona, we founded the Silene Association, a non-profit NGO aimed at the study, dissemination and promotion of the intangible cultural and spiritual heritage, specially in relation to nature conservation. Silene manages the documentation centre of the IUCN Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual values of Protected Areas.

During the last ten years I edited or co-edited six books in this field, five of them in English and one in Spanish, and wrote numerous papers, published in English, Spanish, French and Catalan national and international journals, such as:

2012: Editor of Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of Europe. German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Vilm, Germany. International Academy for Nature Conservation, Isle of Vilm, Putbus / Rügen, Germany

2012: Joint editor (with T. Papayannis and R. Väisänen) The Diversity of sacred areas of Europe. Proceedings of the third workshop of The Delos Initiative. Aanaar / Inari, Finland, 2010. Metsahälitus, Helsinki.

2012: Spiritual and religious values of northern Mediterranean wetlands: Challenges and opportunities for conservation, in T. Papayannnis & N. Benessaiah, eds. Cultural Values of Mediterranean Wetlands. Proceedings of the 2009 Prespa workshop. Med-Wet & Med-INA: Athens.

2010: Joint-editor (with T. Papaynnis) of The Sacred Dimension of Protected Areas. Proceedings of the Second Workshop of The Delos Initiative. Ouranoupolis 2007. IUCN Med-INA. Athens.

2010: Co-athor with L. Higgins-Zogib, N.Dudley and S. Mansourian, of Beyond Belief: Linking Faiths and Protected Areas to Support Biodiversity Conservation, case study 8.1: The Ancient Sacred Natural Sites in al Hoceima National Park, Morocco. p.145-164, in S. Stolton & N.Dudley, eds. (2010). Arguments for Protection. Multiple Benefits for Conservation and Use. Earthscan, London, Washington DC.

2009: The spiritual value of protected areas in Europe, and Communicating spiritual values in protected areas with monastic communities: the case of Montserrat in Sue Stolton, ed. Communicating Values and Benefits of Protected Areas in Europe, p.31-34, and 70-73. BfN. Skripten 260. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, International Academy for Nature Conservation, Isle of Vilm, Putbus / Rügen, Germany.

2009: Editor, Valores culturales y espirituales de los paisajes protegidos. Serie Paisajes terrestres y marítimos protegidos, Num. 2, UICN, CMAP, Fundació Obra Social Caixa Catalunya and GTZ.

2008: Editor, Protected Landscapes and Cultural and Spiritual Values. Values of Protected Landscapes and Seascapes Series, num. 2. IUCN, WCPA, Fundació Obra Social Caixa Catalunya & GTZ.

2007: Joint-editor (with T. Papaynnis) of Protected Areas and Spirituality. Proceedings of the First Workshop of The Delos Initiative. Montserrat 2006. IUCN–PAM. 327 p.

2007: Co-author with B. Vershuuren and G. Oviedo: “Sacred Natural Sites and Protected Areas”, N. Dudley, ed. IUCN Almeria Summit on Protected Areas Categories, May 2007.