2 December. The case study of the site of the Sacred Mount of Varallo was finalized during the last week of the course. In this activity, participants formulated a proposal for its conservation and use.

The role, benefits and challenges of interdisciplinarity in decision making were discussed in a session moderated by participants, and illustrated through study visits to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (OPD) in Florence, and to the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR), in Rome.   

The final unit of the course dealt with communication in decision making. Sessions included: involving the public, communication with decision makers, and communication with funding agencies. Participants' contributions provided an overview of communication practices in the conservation field worldwide.

In a joint session, participants and the course team brainstormed the topic 'What is conservation's future?', identifying strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats to conservation in the years to come.

Before the concluding course evaluation session, participants identified and discussed how they could make use of the course concepts, approaches and tools in their respective work environments.  

Member States represented: Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Estonia, Guatemala, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Romania, Serbia, United Kingdom, United States

updated on: 2 December, 2008