Tokyo Declaration on the Role of Sacred Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes in the Conservation of Biological and Cultural Diversity
Participants to the International Symposium 'Conserving Cultural and Biological Diversity: The Role of Sacred Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes' held at the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan, 30 May - 2 June 2005 adopted by acclamation, symposium participants adopted the 'Tokyo Declaration'

• Available in English / French / Japanese / Spanish
  

The Yamato Declaration on Integrated Approaches for Safeguarding Tangible and Intangible Heritage
The International Conference on the Safeguarding of Tangible and Intangible Heritage, 20-23 October 2004, Nara, Japan, was inaugurated by the Director-General of UNESCO at the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Venice Charter (1964) and of that of the 10th Anniversary of the Nara Conference on Authenticity (1994), and joined together 42 experts specializing in the safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage from 23 countries from all over the world.

The Yamato Declaration is the importance of safeguarding both tangible and intangible heritage in their own right, taking into account their interdependence but also their distinctive characters.

• The Yamato Declaration (English / French / Japanese)

UNESCO/IUCN Working Guidelines
The UNESCO-MAB "International Workshop on the Importance of Sacred Natural Sites for Biodiversity Conservation", which was held at Kunming and Xishuangbanna Biosphere Reserve (China) in February 2003, provided the basis for the preparation of 'Working Guidelines for the Management of Sacred Natural Sites', in particular with regard to their importance for nature conservation. The working guidelines were presented at the Third World Parks Congress (Durban, South Africa, September 2003) for comments and further refinement.

• Working Guidelines for the Management of Sacred Natural Sites

CBD's Akwé:Kon Voluntary Guidelines
Contracting Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have adopted, and the CBD Secretariat has published, the 'Akwé:Kon Voluntary Guidelines for the Conduct of Cultural, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment regarding Developments Proposed to take place on, or which are likely to Impact on Sacred Sites and on Lands and Waters Traditionally Occupied or Used by Indigenous and Local Communities'.

• The Akwé:Kon Guidelines (full text) English / French / Spanish

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
The 2003 Convention defines Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as the practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage.
The definition also indicates that the ICH to be safeguarded by this Convention:

• is transmitted from generation to generation;
• is constantly recreated by communities and groups, in response to their environment, their interaction with nature, and their history;
• provides communities and groups with a sense of identity and continuity;
• promotes respect for cultural diversity and human creativity;
• is compatible with international human rights instruments;
• complies with the requirements of mutual respect among communities, and of sustainable development.

2003 Convention. Full text (English / French / Spanish / Russian / Arabic / Chinese)

Related Workshop Proceedings

Elista Proceedings
Combating Desertification: Traditional Knowledge and Modern Technology for the Sustainable Management of Dryland Ecosystems

Proceedings of the International Workshop, Elista, Republic of Kalmykia, Russian Federation, 23-27 June 2004
One of the main objectives of the workshop on 'Traditional Knowledge and Modern Technology for the Sustainable Management of Dryland Ecosystems' held in Elista, Republic of Kalmykia (Russian Federation, 23-27 June 2004) was to explore the extent of traditional methods as a complement to existing modern technologies to assist dryland biosphere reserves in the rehabilitation of degraded areas in their transitional and buffer zones.

Kunming Proceedings
The Importance of Sacred Natural Sites for Biodiversity Conservation
Proceedings of the International Workshop held in Kunming and Xishuangbanna Biosphere Reserve, People's Republic of China, 17-20 February 2003
The workshop addressed the basis and methodology for comparative, inter-regional collaboration on biodiversity conservation based on culturally important areas with an emphasis on sacred sites.