The Diversity of Sacred Lands in Europe - IUCN

obvious that the sacredness of some
of them does not present a spiritual interest
for contemporary local communities,
and preservation works in these
sites is carried out only for touristic
purposes. Even in this case, however,
local communities are usually interested
in maintaining unchanged the environmental
quality of these sites.
It is indisputable that Sacred Natural
Sites which are currently important for
the local communities play a key role
in nature conservation, because each
of them conveys respect for Nature as
a divine creation, and allows raise of
awareness for environmental matters
and dissemination of sound nature
protection practices. But more importantly,
visits in these sacred natural
sites require not only external cleanliness,
but also internal purity and a reverential
attitude. Therefore, affirming
the sacred values of landscapes, sites
and species is a necessary step to
protect nature, emphasising thus the
amazing integration of the natural and
spiritual features of the Carpathian
region.
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