Sacred Species and Sites Advances in Biocultural Conservation

It is being increasingly recognised that cultural and biological diversity are deeply linked and that conservation programmes should take into account the ethical, cultural and spiritual values of nature. With contributions from a range of scholars, practitioners and spiritual leaders from around the world, this book provides new insights into biocultural diversity conservation. It explores sacred landscapes, sites, plants and animals from around the world to demonstrate the links between nature conservation and spiritual beliefs and traditions. Key conceptual topics are connected to case studies, as well as modern and ancient spiritual insights, guiding the reader through the various issues from fundamental theory and beliefs to practical applications. It looks forward to the biocultural agenda, providing guidelines for future research and practice and offering suggestions for improved integration of these values into policy, planning and management.

Part I. Concepts and Knowledge; Part II. Sacred Landscapes; Part III. Sacred Sites and People; Part IV. Sacred Species; Part V. Sacred Animals; Part VI. Sacred Groves and Plants; Part VII. Implementation and Conclusions.

Gloria Pungetti is Research Director of the Cambridge Centre for Landscape and People (CCLP). Aiming to integrate the spiritual and cultural values of land and communities into landscape planning, nature conservation and sustainable development, she has widely published on these topics and chairs the IUCN-CCLP 3S Initiative on Sacred Species and Sites.
Gonzalo Oviedo is the Senior Adviser for Social Policy at IUCN. In this position he facilitates IUCN's global work on topics such as livelihood security, poverty reduction, indigenous peoples and rural communities, and assists the IUCN programmes worldwide on matters of social equity and human wellbeing in their conservation work.
Della Hooke is an Honorary Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Research in Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham. She is an historical geographer and has published extensively upon the historical development of the British landscape. Her research interests include the early medieval landscape and combining ecological and cultural evidence from forest, woodland and parks.