The Mountain Institute (TMI) has initiated in May 2006 a 6 year program that aims to support the conservation of Peru's Northern Andes 'paramo ecosystem' part of an alliance involving research and education organizations in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. This is a regional initiative carried out with support of GEF and UNEP. In the specific case of Peru, the remote high-altitude humid grasslands known as paramo, are also associated with an ancient healing tradition of shamanism and cult to sacred lakes that draw their power and sacredness from its very remoteness and wild landscapes. Within this project framework, TMI is designing specific activities to engage traditional practitioners of this great healing tradition as stewards and leaders of conservation based on local values and traditions. More

The Delos Initiative
A workshop was recently held on Nature and Spirituality on 23-26 November 2006 in the Monastery of Montserrat, Spain.
The Montserrat Statement encapsulates the main conclusions attained during the first workshop of the Delos Initiative, WCPA IUCN Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas. More

• The Montserrat Statement (English / Spanish)

UNESCO-Cairo is currently supporting 2 studies on the interdependence between cultural and biological diversity.
Reports on the studies below are now available on the Arab MAB website. More

1. Biological Diversity and Material Culture in Siwa Oasis (Egypt).
   By Dr. Irina Springuel, UNESCO-Cousteau Ecotechnie Chair on Environmental and Sustainable Development at the Unit of Environmental Studies and Development (UESD) South Valley University.
   Siwa is different from other oases of Egyptian Western Desert because Siwan people are originally Berbers, the true Western Desert indigenous people, who once roamed the North African coast between Tunisia and Morocco. Though there are some Bedouins living in the oasis, Siwa is still more related to North African culture then to Egyptian and their language, traditions, rites, dress, decorations and tools differ from those of the other Egyptian Western Oases.
2. Interdependance Culture - Biodiversity Case Study on the Relationsip Between Biological Diversity and Material Culture in Al_Chouf Cedar Biosphere Reserve (Lebanon).
   By Mr. Nizar Hani, Scientific Coordinator Al_Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve
   This study is conceived to contribute to the proposed MAB innovative approaches to Sustainable Development in the Arab Region. The study will be used to sensitize policy makers, development practitioners, media professionals, relevant NGOs and community leaders on the interdependence between cultural and biological diversity. It is intended to present low cost and innovative means of biodiversity conservation that rely mainly on the local knowledge.

IUCN Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas
The network seeks to identify, define, and provide guidelines for managing the cultural and spiritual dimensions of protected areas. More

IUCN's work on indicators for managing cultural and spiritual values at sacred natural sites is forthcoming.

Bas Verschuuren at the Foundation for Sustainable Development, The Netherlands, works alongside IUCN and posted an article at the CSVPA (Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas) website entitled 'An overview of cultural and spiritual values in ecosystem management and conservation strategies' (click here).

An International Conference on Endogenous Development and Bio-Cultural Diversity took place in 2 - 5 October 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland. More

Cultural Values of Nature Initiative (CVNI)
CVNI aims to develop a comprehensive knowledge base and effective field-tested tools for the assessment, valuation, integration and communication of biocultural values in ecosystem and conservation management. More