Z Bass Verschuuren.

Od 2 - 6 November 2011, nekaj 30 Europeans participated in a workshop on the Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of Europe. Organised by the German Agency for Nature Conservation, the workshop took place at the International Academy for Nature Conservation on Isle of Vilm and was the first of its kind in organised in Europe. The proceedings of the workshop are expected to be completed and distributed in electronic format at the end of January 2012.

Earlier this year we saw the first European workshop on community conserved areas held in Gerace Italy and a later a scientific seminar on sacred natural sites in Zurich Switzerland. Europe seems to be waking up to the role that communities, culture and spirituality play and can play in nature conservation. This workshop on spiritual values in protected areas affirms this growing recognition and interest.

The diverse presentations from Bosnia, Estonija, Poland, Nemčija, Ukrajina, Spain, Italija, Finland and many other countries, clearly showed that all around Europe people’s relationships with surrounding natural areas and cultural landscapes are often characterised by spiritual experiences. Places that were famed for their biodiversity and recreational values quickly appeared as part of a new fabric of values.

Caves, gore, rocks and springs are known to be inhabited by nature spirits to some and they may be the place for continuing long traditions in spiritual practice to others. Sacred natural sites exist all throughout Europe. Nekatere, , kot je pokop usta neolitika ali pre-zgodovinski petroglyphs oznako krajev moči, kjer je nekoč v središču kultur, ki so že zdavnaj izginila s površine Zemlje. Nekatere od teh krajev, ki so prenovljene, ki jih tiste, ki iščejo duhovno odnos z naravo. New krajih pa, so prav tako označeni kot sveto in podaril z duhovno vrednost.

Ker bo lahko pričakovali, tisoče svetih mest in vitamini so prav tako upravlja verske organizacije v Evropi, and long netwroks of pilgrimages linking them are being conserved or revitalised. Whether the participants were discussing the religious forests of the Catholic and Orthodox Church or those sacred to indigenous Saami and Estonians their special ways of forest use is marked by a spiritual dimensions. The interests of these stakeholders as well as their historic relationships need to be carefully taken into account of protected area management. “This offers a real practical and in cases political challenge that arises from bringing intangible values into the realm of protected areas management and planning” says Josep Maria Mallarach Co-coordinator of the Delos pobuda sites.

Josep-Maria is currently coordinating the production of a manual to incorporate the intangible heritage into protected area planning and management with the Spanish Section of the Europarc Federation, which will be launched next summer. If this succeeds it may be serve as a good model for other European countries that need guidelines for better taking into account spiritual values in their protected areas.