The seminar is organised by the Swedish Authorities under the joint auspices of the Joint Experts Network and the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) to be held in Sunne, Värmland County, Sweden from 13 to15 June 2005Background
Countries in the European region and elsewhere have in recent years increased their attention to the cultural heritage values in our forests. This was expressed by the Vienna Declaration and Vienna Resolutions adopted at the fourth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe and signed by forty European countries and the European Communities (Vienna, April, 2004). The principles aim to promote and raise awareness of the social and cultural dimension of sustainable forest management as well as clarifying the cultural significance of the forest.
While forest practices have improved cultural heritage sites, many are still at risk from poorly planned forestry operations. There is a need to raise awareness of the cultural values, both inside and outside the forestry sector. It is also well established that cultural values of forests can serve to spark interest of forest owners and encourage them to look at the wider issue of nature conservation.
Objectives
The seminar is included in the work programme of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) to support the implementation of Vienna Resolution 3: Preserving and enhancing the Social and Cultural Dimensions of Sustainable Forest Management in Europe. The objective is to raise the general knowledge by defining cultural heritage sites and promoting awareness on this important topic at both political and practical management levels by discussing practical country experiences. The full text of Vienna Resolution 3 is set out in annex I
Date and place
The seminar will take place from 13 to 15 June 2005 in Sunne, Värmland County, Sweden.
Organisers
The National Board of Forestry;
Co-organisers:
The Värmland- Örebro Regional Board of Forestry
The Swedish Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications;
The Swedish National Heritage Board
The Joint FAO/ECE/ILO Experts Network for implementation of Sustainable Forest Management;
The Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe – Liaison Unit Warsaw.
Organising Committee
Representatives from the above Swedish organizations, ECE and MCPFE
Target groups
The seminar is aimed at all those involved in the preservation of the cultural heritage, including: staff of national forest administrations and other relevant public organisations;
forest owners associations;
NGOs engaged in the cultural heritage;
forests enterprises and contractors;
educational and scientific institutions;
Expected number of participants: Fifty or sixty participants.
Language of the event: English
Speakers
Keynote speakers representing European countries, international organizations and research institutions. In addition there is a call for voluntary papers (maximum of 12).
Structure of the event
The program will cover three days of which day 2 and 3 contains a half day field excursion. The excursion will be linked to the themes of the seminar.
The program will be devoted to presentations – country reports, keynote presentations and voluntary papers followed by working groups.
Themes of the seminar are: 1) inventory and mapping; 2) forest management and the cultural heritage; 3) research;
A poster session will be organized in connection to the seminar.
Possible topics of voluntary papers :
what is the forest cultural heritage? Definitions and indicators;
humanistic approach to SFM and its contribution to sustainable development;
forests in shaping human culture;
measures of different countries for maintenance of cultural and social values of forests;
technical support in the protection cultural heritage of forests (inventory methods, GIS and remote sensing applications, etc.)
communication and education on the social and cultural dimension of SFM;
the biocultural heritage
the feminine influence on conveying the cultural and social values of forest throughout the centuries;
forests in the cultural landscape;
archaeology in forest management (ancient woodlands)
indigenous people and the cultural heritage
Country reports :
How does your country define social and cultural heritage?
Policy statement and measures;
Present status; and gaps regarding knowledge and preservation of cultural heritage
Management of the cultural heritage.
Country reports may be invited for presentations as voluntary papers.
Excursions
Two half-day excursions will visit sites in Värmland and cover the following topics:
Methods for carrying out inventories of cultural remains - examples from the project Forests and History;
Gender perspectives and the cultural heritage in forests – examples from mountain pasture systems and the early days of manual timber exploitation in Scandinavia
The bio-cultural heritage – examples from the EU LIFE-project Bio-cultural heritage
Early mining environments, a shieling (mountain pasture) and a group of 19th century crofts will be visited as well as sites representing the heritage from early 17th century migration of settlers from Finland to Värmland.
Crucial deadlines
The organizing committee should receive abstracts by 15 April 2005.
The organizing committee should receive full basic and voluntary papers, including country reports, by 31 May 2005.
The deadline for registration is 1 May.
Seminar papers and proceedings
The papers will be pre-reviewed by the organizing Committee before being accepted. The papers will be published as presented at the seminar. The organizers will publish the proceedings of the seminar including conclusions and recommendations in 2005. The Swedish Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications and the MCPFE Liaison Unit Warsaw will fund the publication jointly.
Meeting venue
The meeting venue will be the Selma Lagerlöf Hotel in Sunne, a small municipality by the lake Fryken. The hotel has all conference facilities and equipment. More information about the venue can be found at www.selmaspa.se . Sunne is about 40 minutes by car from the closest airport in Karlstad. There are flights to Karlstad from Stockholm and Copenhagen. There are also train connections from Stockholm, Gothenburg and Oslo.
Board and lodging
Board and lodging (3 nights including meals) 3,400 SEK (excl. VAT) (approximately 375 €).
Transportation by bus will be organised from Karlstad airport on 12 June and back on 15 June. Registered participants will be asked to provide their arrival and departure times.
Financial assistance
Funds have been earmarked to sponsor a limited number of participants from Eastern European countries.
ANNEX I
FOURTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
ON THE PROTECTION OF FORESTS IN EUROPE
28-30 April 2003, Vienna, Austria
VIENNA RESOLUTION 3
PRESERVING AND ENHANCING THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN EUROPE
1. Recognising the relationship between people and forests and that the social and cultural
dimensions of sustainable forest management are reflected in landscapes, historical
sites and monuments, artistic, traditional or linguistic knowledge, values, experiences
and traditional practices related to forests and uses of wood, non-wood goods and
services,
2. based on the understanding that social and cultural values change over time as
societies develop, and recognising that globalisation and urbanisation have an effect on
forestry,
3. taking into account the decisions of the UNFF11 and the CBD22, related to the social and
cultural dimensions of sustainable forest management, and the work done by
UNESCO3,
4. aiming to further promote and raise awareness of the social and cultural dimensions of
sustainable forest management as an important asset to the education, recreation,
environment, rural development and economy of society,
the Signatory States and the European Community, commit themselves to
5. address the social and cultural dimensions of sustainable forest management in national
forest programmes and other relevant policies,
6. encourage the identification, expression and communication of the social and cultural
dimensions of sustainable forest management inter alia by including them in education
and rural development programmes,
7. secure the property rights and land tenure arrangements of forest owners, local and
indigenous communities taking into account their economic interests as well as their
various social and cultural values, making sure that their land use is in line with
sustainable forest management in accordance with relevant national legislation,
8. maintain and further develop both the material (e.g. wood in architecture, medicinal
plants) and the non-material (e.g. recreation, well-being, health) social and cultural
aspects and benefits of sustainable forest management,
9. maintain and increase the attractiveness of the landscape by, inter alia, enhancing and
preserving traditional elements of the cultural landscape; raise awareness of the
contribution of traditional knowledge and practices in sustainable forest management for
the protection of landscapes, the conservation of biological diversity as well as for
protection against natural hazards,
10. identify, assess and encourage the conservation and management of significant
historical and cultural objects and sites in forests and related to forests in collaboration
with relevant institutions,
11. encourage multi-disciplinary research into the role of the social and cultural aspects of
sustainable forest management in the overall goal of sustainable development, including
the role of traditional forest-related knowledge.
Experts interested in attending the seminar are invited to fill in the registration form below:
Mőrten Aronsson
Gunnar Nordanstig
National Board of Forestry
Vallgatan 8
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SE-55183 JÖNKÖPING
Tel: +46-36-15 56 63
SWEDEN
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