Sacred natural sites

Description

"Sacred Natural Sites" are the world's oldest protected places. Some of the most prominent examples include Uluru (Ayer's Rock, Australia), Mount Fuji (Japan), Sagarmatha /Chomolongma (Mt Everest, Nepal and China), the River Ganges (India), the Sacred Groves of India, Lake Titicaca (Bolivia and Peru) and Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania). This book focuses on some of these iconic sites but more on lesser known examples such as the Holy Hills (China), the Golden Mountains of Altai (Russia), Holy Island of Lindisfarne (UK) and the sacred lakes of the Niger Delta (Nigeria). Across a wide range of case studies from throughout the world, authors describe these sacred mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, groves, islands, seas, and landscapes and the species that live in them. Sacred natural sites are shown to contain remarkable biodiversity and therefore can make a significant contribution to halting the catastrophic extinction of wild species of plants and animals as well as the decline and damage of habitats and ecosystems. They also display a broad array of cultural diversity, languages, rituals, traditional knowledge, art, song, story, dance and identity and therefore appear of universal humanitarian value. Religion can partner with conservation science in sacred natural sites for the pragmatic and effective protection of nature. Often cared for by their traditional custodian community, sacred natural sites represent a wide diversity of socio-ecological models that can help find approaches for more sustainable lifestyles and human-nature relationships for the world at large. " 'This book illustrates that sacred natural sites, although often under threat, exist within and outside formally recognised protected areas and heritage sites. Sacred sites may well be some of the last strongholds for building resilient networks of connected landscapes as well as forming important nodes for maintaining a dynamic cultural fabric in the face of global change. The book therefore bridges the gap between approaches to the conservation of cultural and biological diversity. It applies a multidisciplinary approach to recognizing, understanding and managing sacred natural sites. It provides examples of how economic benefits - such as from tourism and fisheries - can be compatible goals with the conservation of sacred biodiversity and thus advancing the welfare of both people and wildlife. It concludes that conservation efforts are likely to be successful only if the cultural and spiritual values are taken into account together with the socio-economic interests of the custodian communities and other relevant stakeholders.'--from books.google.ocm.hk.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Sacred natural sites: conserving nature and cultureEarthscan2010-01-01
• Sacred Natural SitesTaylor & Francis Group2012-01-01
• Sacred Natural SitesTaylor & Francis Group2012-01-01
• Sacred Natural SitesTaylor & Francis Group2012-01-01
• Sacred Natural SitesTaylor & Francis Group2012-01-01
• Sacred Natural SitesRoutledge2012-01-01