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Asian Sacred Natural Sites: Call for contributions to a publication and online case studies

Copies of the Japanese IUCN UNESCO Sacred NAtural Sites Guidelines on display at the side event where group work took place. Source: APC
Asian Sacred Natural Sites: An ancient Asian philosophy and practice with fundamental significance to protected areas. (download this call) Within the context of the Asian Sacred Sites Network Project, IUCN WCPA Japan, the Biodiversity Network Japan and the Sacred Natural Sites Initiative in collaboration with the IUCN WCPA Specialist group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of […]

International Statement on Living, Recognizing and Protecting Sacred Sites of Arctic Indigenous Peoples

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Caption: Presentation of the Conference Statement by the indigenous participants. Photo: Bas Verschuuren. By Leena Heinämäki, Thora Herrmann and Bas Verschuuren on behalf of the conference co-organizers In September 2013, a group of nearly 80 participants from 12 different countries and 7 different Indigenous Peoples developed the “Conference Statement and Recommendations on: Recognition and Safeguarding of the […]

Conservation Experience: Protecting Paluküla Sacred Forest Hill in Estonia

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The Sacred Natural Sites Initiative regularly features “Conservation Experiences” of custodians, protected area managers, and others that stand to protect sacred sites. This post features the experiences of Mr. Arvi Sepp from the ‘Estonian House of Taara and Native Religions’ which protects and revitalises sacred natural sites all over Estonia. Arvi Sepp and his colleagues […]

Introducing the Asian Sacred Natural Sites Network

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Banner image: Gongcheol Jeong (1960-2013, Republic of (South) Korea), was a Jeju shaman also called Shimbang. He participated in the cultural movement through theatrical activities and lived as a shaman who holds real guts  (ceremony) for connecting people to sacred landscapes. (Photo: Bas Verschuuren 2012) After last year’s preparatory work we are now pleased to introduce […]

Conservation Experience: Tourism and holiness at Montserrat, Spain.

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This special feature of the “Conservation Experiences” is based on an interesting case developed by the Delos Initiative.  The Delos initiative is well know for its work on Sacred Natural Sites in developed countries since 2005. The work presented in this feature is based on the monastic community that hosted the first Delos Workshop in […]

Increased Profile and Network for Sacred Natural Sites at the Asian Parks Congress in Japan

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The Asian Parks Congress (APC), held in the city of Sendai, Japan from 13 – 18th November 2013 welcomed over 800 people from 22 Asian countries and from across the world.  The Sacred Natural Sites Initiative and WCPA Japan hosted a dedicated working group session and a side event that discussed the rich and diverse dimensions of sacred […]