1.Front section - IUCN

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Friends for Life: New partners in support of protected areas
influence, the role of non-Aboriginal field staff (NSW
National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2003). The
central element of this evaluation has been to consider
the possible effects, both positive and negative, of
developing an experimental programme where
Aboriginal elders and staff will work with non-
Aboriginal rangers in adopting aspects of the
Aboriginal notion of kinship with nature as part of
their work practice and identity.
Elements for an International Programme:
1. Development of course modules on multicultural
approaches to PA management, giving prominent
attention to SNSs.
2. Staging of mini-courses on multicultural
approaches to PA management at international
and regional environmental meetings attended by
PA staff.
Technical and financial assistance
In many cases, countries interested in adopting and
implementing the model policies and consequent
actions may require technical and financial assistance.
This assistance might be provided by the advocate
agencies, especially if model policies and associated
lessons learned are available, and a core of qualified
consultants are identified and listings made available
to, and promoted with, the advocate agencies.
Conclusion
Building broader support for protected areas through
sacred natural sites is an approach to biodiversity
conservation that is finally receiving increasing
attention. It is an approach fraught with difficulty
because of the legacy of conflict between I&T peoples
and PAs established on ancestral lands, and the
general lack of recognition of, and respect for, SNS.
Yet in many traditional societies, SNS have functioned
as a community instrument for biodiversity
conservation that has many commonalities with
western society’s PA approach.
The recognition and management of SNS is part of
a wider need for policies and programmes to
recognise and respect the rights of I&T peoples and to
adopt and implement a multicultural approach to PAs
that would specifically address the formal recognition
of and management of SNS. This would include both
those within established PAs, and those that are
currently outside of PA systems. It is a challenge faced
in varying degrees by many countries around the
world. If approached in an honest and forthright
manner, and if accompanied by good will and
perseverance, SNS could indeed play a significant
role in catalysing broader cultural support for PAs.
Elements for an International Programme:
1. Development and funding of an international
project on multicultural approaches to PA
planning and management with pilot projects in
the major regions of the world. A central
component of the project would be an emphasis
from the start on tracking lessons learned,
developing case studies, and the use of video as a
tool for sharing experiences.
2. Establishment of an international SNS
Emergency fund to provide technical and
financial assistance for SNS in danger.
3. Building of a database of PA practitioners with
experience in multicultural approaches to PAs
and the management of SNS. Dissemination of
information regarding the database to potentially
interested institutions and agencies.
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