The Diversity of Sacred Lands in Europe - IUCN

Greece, the only monastic republic of
the world, in accordance with World
Heritage Site Committee requirements.
Next, Josep-Maria Mallarach made an
overview presentation on the best practices
and new trends on the management
of monastic lands in Europe and
Middle Eastern countries, summarizing
a sixteen-century-old experience of
community management which is still
alive and vibrant in many countries.
On Saturday, the first session was devoted
to explore the diversity of sacred
natural sites in Europe, including three
presentations. The first dealt with the
amazing diversity and number of sacred
natural sites found in the Carpathian
Mountains, Romania, Poland,
Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Serbia,
by Sebastian Catanoiu. The second,
with the recovery of sacred sites in
Scotland, by Alastair McIntosh, where
the author, through personal eloquent
histories stressed the need to enter
into a dynamic relationship with Sacred
Natural Sites to become more fully
alive, participating in the responsibility
to conserve and reactivate them,
as part of spirituality of resurrection; of
that which gives life as love made
manifest. The last presentation, by Alexander
Davydov, was also an overview
of a variety of Orthodox Christian
and indigenous sacred sites in the
Barents Euro-Arctic Region, including
the most northern regions of Russia,
Finland, Sweden and Norway.
The two last sessions were not devoted
to more case studies but to discuss
and assess the validation of the 2008
IUCN-UNESCO Guidelines for Protected
Area Managers of Sacred Natural
Sites. This exercise allowed the active
engagement of all the participants before
and during the workshop. In the
first session the work was carried in
three parallel working groups, whilst in
the second one the results of the three
groups were presented and discussed,
allowing the drawing of joint
conclusions. Despite its limitations,
this first attempt of assessing the applicability
of the existing Guidelines for
Sacred Natural Sites was an interesting
learning exercise.
The concluding session was a lively
discussion in order to identify the key
points that were to be included in the
Inari/Aanaar Statement, which was refined
during the next few days, until it
reached consensus.
The workshop included a guided visit
to Siida - The Sámi Museum and Nature
Centre, which features the evolution
of the Sámi communities in this
harsh but beautiful environment, their
crafts and tools. In one of the rooms
there was a temporary display of traditional
Sámi drums, painted with symbolic
designs and motives. There was
also a visit to the open air museum,
which features a good sample of different
types of log homes and buildings
that have been used in the Sámi area.
In addition, an interesting field visit
was organised, with two parts, enjoying
a sunny afternoon. The first part,
by boat, took the participants to Lake
Inari, sailing to the Ukonsaari/Äijih Island,
where there were some interesting
discussions about the need to set
21