Biocultural Diversity for Sustainable Ecological, Cultural and Sacred Landscapes: The Biocultural Landscape Approach - Landscape Ecology for Sustainable Environment and Culture - page 62

A sacred landscape is as an area with spiritual significance to peoples and
communities. It can contain sacred species, which have strong spiritual values for
the community they refer to. It can also include sacred natural sites, which blend
natural and spiritual values (Pungetti 2012 a). The 3S Initiative 'Sacred Species and
Sites' has been set up by CCLP under IUCN and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to
support research in the above field. The main goal is to improve recognition of the
spiritual values of species and sites connected with landscapes, cultures and
traditions.
A wide spectrum of experts from academia and international conservation or-
ganisations gathered in Cambridge in 2007 to demonstrate ways in which sacred
species and sites contribute to landscape ecology and conservation biology.
Together with these scholars, spiritual leaders from around the world helped to
provide new insights into biocultural diversity conservation and sacred landscape.
Since then, key conceptual topics have been connected to over 50 case studies
worldwide, and described by the authors in the 3S Research, highlighting issues
from fundamental theory to practical applications. Sacred landscapes, sites, plants
and animals from around the world have been examined to demonstrate the links
between traditional spiritual beliefs, practices and nature conservation. The
research group has proposed further topics for the biocultural agenda, providing
guidelines for future research and practice.
The 3S Research promoted the integration of spiritual values of ecosystems and
landscapes into policy, planning and management. In demonstrating ways in which
sacred species and sites can contribute to landscape ecology and conservation
biology, the 3S had special significance for advancing studies in these fields
(Pungetti et al. 2012 ).
The authors concluded that for species, being considered sacred is often a
protector from threats. Sacredness alone, however, is not enough to preserve a
sacred species. No one set of values will be sufficient on its own to achieve ideal
conservation outcomes. In the contemporary world, therefore, an integrated
holistic approach is required for sustainable biocultural conservation and to pre-
serve heritage of sacred landscapes.
4.6 Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Landscape
Over time, the elders of indigenous people have passed their knowledge on to the
younger generations via legends, myths, oral stories, drawings and texts, often
engraved on rocks and recorded on natural materials. Due to the lack of written
texts, these cultural expressions constitute what the natives call their 'history book
on the land', and are in the hands of those designated to maintaining their tradi-
tions. Such knowledge acquired and preserved through generations in an indige-
nous or local society, consisting of experience in working to secure subsistence
from nature with an ecological basis, is recognised as 'Traditional Ecological
Knowledge' (TEK) or indigenous peoples' ecological knowledge.