The Sustainers
Growing a Life Sustaining Society in the post-consumer era.
We're expanding fresh harmonies our curious species can sing during its time on Earth. C'MON IN: Your project, seeds and hearty experiments are welcome here! MALLEABLE: Everything you see in the structural framework of our group’s content will shift to mirror what you bring. Remember, we’re painting new murals over what was carved in stone, eh?This is our ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Feb 03, 2008
Updated: Jun 24, 2008
Membership: Open To Apply
Semi-Private
Observatories of biocultural diversity: establishing longterm community conservation projects
Access Privileges
Access is currently restricted to the following group(s):
United by a concern for biological and cultural diversity, diverse teams of researchers are conducting long-term studies of local peoples’ environmental beliefs, knowledge systems and practices in the context of a changing world. These site-specific ‘observatories of biocultural diversity’ provide a window onto the innovative ways in which communities cope with the impact of global trends such as climate change, cultural homogenization, demographic shifts (including displacement, migration and transnationalism), establishment of protected areas, market integration, nutritional transtions, tourism and transmission of knowledge through modern communication systems. Led by the Director and Regional Coordinators of the Global Diversity Foundation (www.globaldiversity.org.uk), we will discuss diverse local level initiatives, based on traditional and indigenous knowledge, that highlight integrated and long-term approaches to restoring, conserving and sustainably using natural assets. Examples will include: (1) the response of Dusun communities to the creation of community use zones in Crocker Range Park in Sabah Malaysia; (2) the efforts of once nomadic San people of Corridor, Namibia to enhance their food security by creating home gardens; (3) the initiative of Chinantec communities to protect over 26,000 hectares of cloud forest in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico; and (4) the struggle of rural and urban communities in Morocco to maintain their access to a diversity of medicinal plants used in traditional health care. University and NGO colleagues will be invited to introduce additional case studies from other geographical areas, including the Amazon, East Africa, Europe, Indochina, Oceania, South Asia and West Africa. We plan to discuss the following questions: (1) are projects that apply similar research frameworks in different areas capable of producing comparable results?; (2) to what extent are achievements in one area scalable to broader initiatives?; (3) what are the main research themes that require urgent attention and do they vary geographically?; (4) can we establish a common methodology that respects local cultural differences and diverse scientific approaches?; and (5) is there scope for creating an international panel on biocultural diversity that would assess the impact of global change on the world’s biological, cultural and linguistic diversity? Please note: this proposal has been submitted as an Aliances Workshop (Proposal Number 1067) but if there is insufficient space it could be scaled down to a Knowledge Café as modified in this submission.
