23/02/2006 - Gland, Switzerland
- Sacred sites are almost certainly the
oldest forms of “protected areas” and there
are thought to be hundreds of thousands
of them around the world contributing to
global efforts to conserve biological diversity,
a new WWF/ARC report reveals. Today, many
sacred natural areas and faith-based land
and water management systems are under threat
because of cultural breakdown, pressures
on resources and poor governance. Pollution,
infrastructure development, disputes over
land, and a general lack of respect for
the intangible values of nature are leading
to degradation of areas that have sometimes
been held sacred for hundreds or thousands
of years.
Inclusion within official protected area
systems can help to protect spiritual values,
if supported by the faith communities. Protected
areas containing sacred sites must however
be managed sensitively to preserve both
biodiversity and spiritual values. Success
in co-managing for faith and nature is almost
always a matter of developing effective
and trusting partnerships between the different
stakeholders involved.
The report Beyond Belief1 hopes to encourage
conservationists and faith groups to collaborate
much more closely in a bid to protect both
the tangible and intangible values of natural
sites.
Halting the rapid loss of biodiversity
is one of the key challenges facing humanity.
Most religions acknowledge this, both individually
and through inter-faith dialogues and statements.
Beyond Belief argues that faiths already
play a key conservation role, with a potential
to increase their contribution much further.
Faiths, big and small, have been involved
in some of the earliest forms of species
and habitat protection, both by preservation
of particular places as sacred natural sites
and through religious-based management approaches.
These form a large and mainly unrecognised
network of wildlife sanctuaries.
Approaches vary between faiths. Many indigenous
peoples and followers of religions such
as Buddhism, Hinduism and Shinto, protect
particular species or natural habitats because
of their spiritual values. Other religions
have long-standing management policies that
protect natural habitats, such as the himas
system under Islam or management policies
on land owned by Christian churches.
For the Aboriginal Australians, sacred sites
are so common and interconnected that they
cover large landscapes in a complex network.
Many Aboriginal creation stories are linked
to particular geographical features, including
rocks. Uluru, or Ayers Rock, in the central
Australian desert is a particularly well
known sacred site; it is also a protected
area.
“In a world where there is a price tag
on everything it is refreshing and a little
surprising to see so many places around
the world protected because of their sacred
values. We believe that religions and conservation
organisations must work together towards
our common goal. With a fusion of faith-based
management approaches and conservation techniques,
the potential benefits for both faiths and
nature, are enormous”, said Liza Higgins-Zogib,
of WWF’s Forest Protection Programme.
The report includes a survey of a hundred
protected areas around the world which also
contain important values to one or more
faiths plus 14 more detailed case studies
from Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Lebanon, India,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, Mongolia,
Europe, Finland, Australia and Colombia.
Guidelines are needed specifically for major
stakeholders, including faith groups, protected
area managers and governments and we propose
the establishment of a learning portfolio
of new and existing protected areas containing
sacred natural sites, specifically looking
at the challenges of managing for both values
together.
___________________________________________________________________
1 Beyond Belief: Linking faiths and protected
areas to support biodiversity conservation
written and edited by Nigel Dudley, Liza
Higgins-Zogib and Stephanie Mansourian,
published by WWF and the Alliance of Religions
and Conservation
___________________________________________________________________
Notes:
* WWF, the conservation organisation joined
forces with the Alliance of Religions and
Conservation to assess how faiths interact
with one of the main tools of conservation:
protected areas such as national parks,
wilderness areas and nature reserves. This
important work was supported in part by
a grant from The World Bank.
* The report concludes with a series of
key recommendations, summarised below:
• Many sacred natural sites can and should
contribute to biodiversity conservation
strategies, either inside an official protected
area or as part of wider landscape / seascape
conservation strategies.
• Religions can contribute to effective
biodiversity protection in many other ways
too, including through investment, management
of their own lands and encouraging good
stewardship amongst members of the faith.
• Conservation organisations should be working
much more closely with faith groups to identify
ways of collaboration.
• Protecting natural areas with sacred significance
can also be an effective way of protecting
a people, culture or ethnic group, while
recognising the role that they play in protecting
nature.
• In any case where a sacred site exists
within a protected area, the care of the
site should always be an important element
in management plans and practice
• There is still much to be learnt about
the links between sacred sites, biodiversity
and protected areas and further research
is required, particularly with respect to:
* the location and status of sacred natural
sites
* the influence of mainstream faiths on
land and water and options for conservation
* the biodiversity value of sacred natural
sites
