Several general recommendations are put forward, which are relevant to both. The complex issue of indigenous and traditional peoples and communities in developing countries is addressed by the paper Some thoughts on sacred sites, faith communities and indigenous peoples. Through many years of IUCN work around the world, it has become obvious that indigenous faiths suffer substantially less in developed than in developing nations, where the traditional peoples and cultures are more numerous, the areas involved much larger and the scale of the problems consequently much larger. As a result, the prospects for traditional spirituality are anything but bright. In addition, there are frequent conflicts between indigenous groups and institutionalised religions that result in the harassment and persecution of the former, which can jeopardise the very survival of traditional cultures. Moreover, the critical issue of indigenous peoples having lost their rights of tenure and of managing indigenous sacred
The Delos2 Workshop
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sites remains unsolved in the majority of developing countries. Since all lands within protected areas in Latin America, Asia and Africa are state lands, the rights of indigenous and traditional peoples to their sacred sites cannot be restored. The ongoing degradation of traditional institutions in developing countries, which began during the colonial era is another major problem, exacerbated by a refusal to recognise indigenous spirituality as legitimate. It is thus absolutely crucial that mainstream religious institutions become more open, ecumenical and tolerant and abandon their colonial attitudes towards indigenous spirituality, which include their continued efforts to convert indigenous people to institutionalised religions. In recent years, numerous environmental organisations have turned to religions in search of allies in their nature conservation and environmental action. Environmental action by the ‘green’ Ecumenical Patriarch has been particularly noted and appreciated. The Ecumenical Patri-