A network of indeterminable magnitude and importance spans the globe: interlinking nodes of sacred natural sites and pilgrimage routes which are increasingly being acknowledged as critical to the conservation of earth’s biocultrual diversity. These sacred connections are found in every country, although some are more well-known than others.
Sacred natural sites, pilgrimage routes and places of spiritual significance are often not sufficiently understood or recognized in conservation policy and management. Nonetheless, local and indigenous people and religious followers play a vital role in the governance of their surrounding environment often based on historic, religious and spiritual ties to nature. Accommodating the needs of these people in conservation management and policy remains a scarcely covered terrain to date.
This is now being addressed through the IUCN UNESCO Guidelines (Wild and McLeod, 2008). The aim is to help protected area managers to not only conserve the natural aspects, but also to better recognise and engage with cultural, spiritual and religious aspects of sacred natural sites within protected areas. They guide protected area managers on what actions are appropriate and make suggestions for creating an enabling environment for custodians, local communities and other stakeholders.
This tree has been dressed since pre-Christian times for the purpose of asking for healing. The ruins of the chapel to St. Walrick stand as a witness to an attempt to assimilate the tree dressing ritual into Christianity. Today the original oak tree (Quercusrobur) has been replaced by a juvenile and the site is contained in an area called ‘The Holy Corner’ which is part of a protected area in Wijchen, The Netherlands. Source: B. Verschuuren (2009).
The Guidelines are organized in two parts: Part 1 contains the supporting sections which include the preamble, introduction, background information and photo plates of sacred sites. Part 2 contains the five-page essential guidelines which consist of six principles and 44 guideline points. The section also contains a discussion which covers the principles of the Guidelines illustrated by case studies and is supported by references and annexes. The six principles are as follows:
| Principle 1: | Recognise sacred natural sites already located in protected areas. |
| Principle 2: | Integrate sacred natural sites located in protected areas into planning processes and management programmes. |
| Principle 3: | Promote stakeholder consent, participation, inclusion and collaboration |
| Principle 4: | Encourage improved knowledge and understanding of sacred natural sites. |
| Principle 5: | Protect sacred natural sites while providing appropriate management access and use. |
| Principle 6: | Respect the rights of sacred natural site custodians within an appropriate framework of national policy. |
Because sacred natural sites have been managed by custodians, communities or faith groups, particular attention is needed in developing additional custodian-led conservation guidance. This is important in the light of the CBD 2020 target of covering 17% of terrestrial and 10% marine areas, conserved through equitable and effectively managed systems of protected areas and other effective area based conservation measures. It adds to the recognition of existing cultural and spiritually embedded conservation approaches.
If you have experience with the conservation of sacred natural sites you can help improve the Guidelines by taking a survey, testing them in the field, translating them into your local language or through developing a case study on your sacred natural site and management experience, go to www.sacrednaturalsites.org or download the brochure.
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