ABSTRACT
Cultural and spiritual bonds with ‘nature’ are among the strongest motivators for nature conservation; yet they are seldom taken into account in the governance and management of protected and conserved areas. The starting point of this book is that to be sustainable, effective, and equitable, approaches to the management and governance of these areas need to engage with people’s deeply held cultural, spiritual, personal, and community values, alongside inspiring action to conserve biological, geological, and cultural diversity.
Since protected area management and governance have traditionally been based on scientific research, a combination of science and spirituality can engage and empower a variety of stakeholders from different cultural and religious backgrounds. As evidenced in this volume, stakeholders range from indigenous peoples and local communities to those following mainstream religions and those representing the wider public. The authors argue that the scope of protected area management and governance needs to be extended to acknowledge the rights, responsibilities, obligations, and aspirations of stakeholder groups and to recognise the cultural and spiritual significance that ‘nature’ holds for people.
The book also has direct practical applications. These follow the IUCN Best Practice Guidelines for protected and conserved area managers and present a wide range of case studies from around the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter 1|13 pages
Cultural and spiritual significance of nature in protected and conserved areas
part I|128 pages
Concepts
chapter 3|16 pages
Meaningful nature experiences
chapter 5|10 pages
Spiritual governance as an indigenous behavioural practice
chapter 6|14 pages
Exploring the usefulness of nature/culture convergences in World Heritage: The case of authenticity
chapter 9|14 pages
The cultural and spiritual significance of nature
part II|73 pages
Policy and practice
chapter 10|12 pages
Connecting practice
chapter 11|16 pages
Entangled landscapes
part III|82 pages
Case studies