The Diversity of Sacred Lands in Europe - IUCN

Inputs and comments from the workshop
The participants of the Delos3 Inari/
Aanaar workshop have made the following
significant comments during
the workshop sessions and while discussing
the Inari/Aanaar Statement at
the closing session of the workshop:
1. Participants confirmed that sacred
natural sites are places, in their
broader sense, both historical and
contemporary, that express the biological,
cultural and spiritual diversity
of life and form an integral part
of the cultural identity of many human
communities and societies in
Europe, as elsewhere.
2. SNSs should be understood not just
as static entities, rooted in the past,
but also as being dynamic and
evolving with changing human
needs. Thus, the following main
categories of SNSs could be indentified:
a) Recognised SNSs that are already
celebrated and protected,
b) Revitalised SNSs where historical
recognition has lapsed, but is
being regenerated, and
c) New SNSs, where there has been
little or no traditional recognition related
to acknowledged spiritual
signs, and
d) Ancient SNSs that do not have
religious significance for contemporary
society.
3. Recognition of SNSs may help in
building up a wider constituency for
nature conservation and filling gaps
in protected area systems. Protected
areas, SNSs and other natural
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