Ouranoupolis Workshop

The second workshop of the DELOS Initiative

The second workshop of the Delos Initiative was held on 24-28 October, in Ouranoupolis, a town next to the Holy Mountain of Athos, in Halkidiki, Greece. Thus the Delos Initiative, in the framework of the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN/WCPA, continued its activities after the first successful workshop that was held in November 2006, in the Monastery of Montserrat, Spain.

The Ouranoupolis meeting was hosted by Med-INA and was attended by 22 participants from 11 countries. Among them there were representatives of the Holy Community of Mount Athos, the Halkidiki Prefecture, the Greek Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, as well as members of the conservation and religious communities. The meeting was honoured by a message of blessings and guidance of HAH The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome (click here to read text).

During the workshop, experiences from Mount Athos in Greece, Jabal Lâ’lam in Morocco, the San Francisco Peaks of California, Mani San Mount in South Korea, Solovetsky Islands of Russia, Buila Vinturarita in Romania, Foreste Casentinesi of Italy, Dhimurru in northern Australia, Poblet Monastery and Sakya Tashi Ling in Catalonia, Spain, Rila Monastery in Bulgaria and the Chryssopigi Monastery in Crete, Greece, were presented and discussed.

The participants explored ways of strengthening the conservation of the natural and spiritual heritage in these areas and in other similar sites, as well as the role IUCN and the conservation community could play. The conclusions of the workshop were incorporated in the Ouranoupolis Statement, a document that includes the lessons drawn from the case-studies presented, guidelines that concern the management of monastic lands, guidance for sacred natural sites in developed countries and the necessary actions that must be taken towards the IUCN World Conservation Congress that will be held in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain) in October 2008. The text is currently in draft form, but will be finalised and circulated broadly soon.

The organisers of the Workshop would like to express their gratitude to HAH The Ecumenical Patriarch for his message, the Holy Community of Mt. Athos, the Monasteries of Cryssopighi in Crete, Ormylia in Halkidiki and Varlaam in Meteora for their contribution, the Prefecture of Halkidiki and the Board of Med-INA (the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos) that covered the Workshop costs, with the support of the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

Delos2 Workshop | Providing guidance for sacred natural sites in developed countries

24-28 October 2007Ouranoupolis, Halkidiki, Greece

The Ouranoupolis Statement
  • Final Programme

Participants

Benally Jeneda

jeneda@blackfire.net

Save the Peaks Coalition – Founder

Catanoiou, Sebastian

catanoius@yahoo.com

Vanatori Neamt Nature Park – Manager

Chryssomalis, Christos

chryssom@minenv.gr

Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works – General Direction of Environment

Davydov, Alexander

davydov@arh.ru

Institute of Ecological Problems of the North – Head of the Laboratory of Nature Protected Areas and Ecology of Culture

Gregorios, Father

Gregoriou Monastery, Representative of the Holy Community of Mount Athos

Filippou, Ioannis

jfilippo@for.auth.gr

University of Thessaloniki - Professor

Foutri, Angeliki

secretariat@med-ina.org

Med-INA Secretariat

Han, Kyung-Koo

hanthro@kookmin.ac.kr

Kookmin University – Professor

Kakouros, Petros

petros@ekby.gr

Greek Biotope / Wetland Centre – Forester

Katsimpas, Charalampos

ch.katsimpas@dpers.minenv.gr

Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works – General Direction of Environment

Lyratzaki, Irini

ilyratzaki@med-ina.org

Med-INA Scientific Secretariat – Social Anthropologist

Mallarach, Josep-Maria

mallarach@silene.es

President of the Silene Association – Delos Initiative Co ordination – Environmental consultant

Nantsou, Theodota

tnantsou@wwf.gr

WWF Greece – Policy Coordinator

Oviedo, Gonzalo

gto@iucn.org

IUCN – Senior Adviser, Social Policy

Papayannis, Thymio

thymiop@med-ina.org

Med-INA director – Delos Initiative Co ordination - Architect, planner, environmentalist

Pungetti, Gloria

cclp@hermes.cam.ac.uk

Cambridge Centre for Landscape and People - Director

Theoxeni, Sister

imx@otenet.gr

Chryssopighi Monastery – Mother Superior

Theosemni, Sister

imx@otenet.gr

Chryssopighi Monastery

Tziritis, Dimitrios

a-nomarhis3@halkidiki.gov.gr

Prefecture of Halkidiki

Verschuuren, Bas

Bus.verschuuren@wur.nl

Earthcollective Wageningen University and research centre – Scientific researcher – IUCN Taskforce on Cultural and Spiritual Values Deputy Leader

Wild, Robert

Rob-wild@ltsi.co.uk

LTS International – IUCN Taskforce on Cultural and Spiritual Values Leader

Zouanat, Zakia

zakiazouanat@yahoo.fr

Institute of African Studies, Mohammed Vth University, Rabat – Anthropologist, researcher