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Gulf of Mannar nominated as International Sacred Site! London, UK |
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200 ecologists, academics, scientists and religious leaders from around the world met on 25 and 26 November at the Linnean Society in London and sought to provide enough multi-disciplinary evidence to persuade the governments of India and Sri Lanka to ask UNESCO to designate the Gulf of Mannar a World Heritage Site.
Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) made the dramatic announcement at the London meeting that it would be seeking to have the Gulf of Mannar designated as one of the world's first internationally recognized 'Sacred Sites.' Martin Palmer, Secretary General of ARC and religion and ecology advisor made the announcement of nomination for Sacred Site status to His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Martin Palmer said, "Cosmologically and ecologically the Gulf of Mannar is about as sacred a site as you could get. Our suggestion is that it should be nominated as one of the very first internationally significant sacred sites, along with places such as the sacred mountains of China and other such hugely holy and ecologically significant places. I have every confidence the nomination will succeed." Following agreements reached at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona last October, 'Sacred Site' is a now an international term of protection for sites that are spiritually, religiously, culturally and ecologically important. IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is world's oldest and largest global environmental network - a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries - it helps find pragmatic solutions to pressing environment and development challenges. Living Planet Foundation and the Gulf of Mannar World Heritage Site Campaign are delighted with this nomination, which is a historic first and boosts our Campaign with new energy and new momentum! We believe that the Sacred Site nomination by ARC can only advance the cause for which we have been campaigning for the past 4 years - protecting the Gulf of Mannar and those whose lives are threatened by the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. Following the London meeting, on November 29, our delegate from Bali, Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna, Prince of Dalem Benculuh Tegeh Kori, personally handed the Resolution to Mrs. Pratibha Patil, India's President who was on an official visit to Bali. That the London meeting was such a huge success was largely due to the pains-taking efforts put in by a number of people from the organizations involved, particularly by all the team members that traveled from various parts of the world to take part in the meeting. It also made a great difference that the ARC, Rainforest Concern, The Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD), Romulus Whitaker and the UK office of ICOMOS made detailed and focused presentations at the meeting. It would only be appropriate here to thank all of them. On behalf of Living Planet Foundation and the Gulf of Mannar World Heritage Site Campaign team, I would like to thank everyone whose support helped us reach an important milestone. While preparing for the London meeting this year and traveling to various cities across the U.S and Europe, I was similarly inspired by the passion and generosity of so many concerned people. In that spirit, I hope you'll continue to support the Gulf of Mannar World Heritage Site Campaign. Contribution of any size makes a very real difference. Our campaign is not over, yet it is not endless. We do not know the day of final victory, but with the nomination from ARC, we have seen the turning of the tide. Now, we need your continued support if the Gulf of Mannar - and perhaps the planet - is to survive and thrive. From my family and my Campaign team to yours, we hope you have a happy, healthy holiday season. All the best for 2009, |
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