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Symposium will test guidelines for managing sacred sites
New guidelines for protecting and managing sacred natural sites will be debated and tested at an international symposium on Conserving Cultural and Biological Diversity: The Role of Sacred Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes to be held at UNU Centre May 30-June 2.
The symposium, co-organised by UNU and UNESCO, is an activity of World EXPO 2005 in Aichi, Japan. It is embedded within the EXPO's central theme on "Nature's Wisdom" and also reflects the theme of the United Nations Pavilion at the EXPO 2005 on "Celebrating Diversity".
The symposium will highlight the interrelationship of biological and cultural diversity in a world where sacred natural sites and associated landscapes are expressions of traditional belief and land management systems, which play an important role for the conservation of biological diversity.
The symposium will feature case studies on sacred natural sites and cultural landscapes from all world regions and cultures presented by conservation experts and indigenous and local communities as custodians of biological diversity and proponents of cultural diversity.
From a scientific point of view, the symposium will also test, validate and refine the draft guidelines for the management of sacred natural sites developed by UNESCO and and the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
© 2005 United Nations University