FUNCI launchs a Mediterranean Landscape Convention

The Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI) in the framework of its program Med-O-Med Cultural Landscapes for Mediterranean and Middle East began a new initiative for the protection and conservation of cultural landscapes in the region. This initiative entitled Landscape Convention for Mediterranean and Middle East, is part of the activities of Med-O-Med to make up with the shortage of materials and resources for conservation of biodiversity and natural and cultural heritage in the area.

Landscape Convention for Mediterranean and Middle East arises from the need to make a declaration of principles and objectives that leads to a commitment by the actors involved: organizations, institutions, administration and civil society. Landscape Convention for Mediterranean and Middle East Currently there are 66 cultural landscapes recognized by UNESCO in the world.

Protection of heritage

As in previous lists that recognize protection of heritage values ​​of a country, such as cultural heritage and / or natural, the situation in the region under consideration is simply heartbreaking. In the societies of these countries have emerged voices demanding attention to what is happening in terms of heritage protection.

Med-O-Med makes a commitment to these citizens and decides to accompany and support them in this important endeavor, always acting in accordance with its principles and with the utmost respect for the identity of these peoples. The specific objectives that we want to achieve with the introduction of this initiative are:

1. Lay the necessary groundwork to launch an enhancement of landscapes and promote awareness about the special landscapes and their protection.
2. Join landscape values ​​to other estimated social values ​​as, health, environment, economy, education and biodiversity.
3. Encourage the creation of figures of protection, including local, complementing to national or international.
4. Encourage the development of good practice in the management and conservation of places.
5. Associating the results with parallel efforts that can end in the production of documents from the standpoint of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean (supra-state).
6. Contributing to the eradication of poverty through the generation of income sources through conservation and tourism promotion.

The first action taken under this initiative is gathering information for this, it has been distributed a survey to different actors in different countries in order to have a clearer picture of the situation nationwide.

Desert photograph by Saadou Ben Taleb.