The Diversity of Sacred Lands in Europe - IUCN

Synergies between spiritual and natural
heritage for habitat conservation in the
Barents Euro-Arctic Region
Alexander N. Davydov
Barents Euro-Arctic Region: a
tool for international cooperation
in the North of Europe
On 11 January 1993 in Kirkenes, Norway,
the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,
Russia and Sweden signed a Declaration
of the Establishing of International
Organisation Barents Euro-Arctic Region
(BEAR). BEAR has several mechanisms
to promote the cooperation
among the northern regions of Norway,
Sweden, Finland and Russia. One of
them is the Habitat Contact Forum
(HCF). Gradually, HCF has started to
incorporate cultural and even spiritual
components to its work on nature conservation
and, especially, on protected
areas.
BEAR is managed by the Barents Euro-
Arctic Council (BEAC) which is represented
by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs
of Finland, Norway, Russia and
Sweden. BEAC elaborates the general
strategy of cooperation. Practical questions
are delegated to the Barents Secretariat,
which is located in Kirkenes.
For practical reasons, the Barents Programme
was organised into ten working
groups on culture, environment, education,
indigenous peoples, agricul-
< Remnants of a sacred grove next to the chapel of Saint Spirit in Glazovo
village, Kenozero, Kenozersky National Park (Archangel Region, Russia).
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