"There is an inextricable link between cultural and biological diversity."
--International Society of Ethnobiology, Declaration of Belém, 1988

"The diversity of life is biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity."
        --Terralingua, 1996

"Biodiversity also incorporates human cultural diversity, which can be affected by the same drivers as biodiversity, and which has impacts on the diversity of genes, other species, and ecosystems."

United Nations Environment Program, Global Environment Outlook, 2007 (GEO-4)

"We have ... achieved a better understanding of the nexus between the diversity of living beings and the diversity of cultures - which together make up the diversity of life on the planet. Nurturing human diversity through culture-based conservation, maintenance of traditional knowledge, revitalization of local practices of natural resource use and governance have become equally important objectives of IUCN as those of conserving species and ecosystems - because ultimately they are profoundly linked realities."
        --IUCN 2008

"The notion of the 'inextricable link' implies not only that biological and cultural diversity are linked to a wide range of human-nature interactions, but also that they are co-evolved, interdependent, and mutually reinforcing."
        --UNESCO 2008

Our Mission

Terralingua supports the integrated protection, maintenance and restoration of the biocultural diversity of life - the world's biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity - through an innovative program of research, education, policy-relevant work, and on-the-ground action.

Our Vision

A just, equitable, sustainable world in which the biocultural diversity of life is valued, protected, and perpetuated for generations to come.

Our Goal

To bring about a profound shift in human values through a deeper understanding and appreciation of the vital importance of biocultural diversity for the survival of all life on earth, so that individual and collective action is taken to care for it and sustain it in this rapidly changing world.

       Click here to learn more about Biocultural Diversity >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Text © 1997-2008 Terralingua. All rights reserved.
Terralingua is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered under U.S.A. tax laws (38-3291259).
Terralingua logo © 1998-2008 Fausto Bonasera and Anna Maffi.
Photographs © 1998-2008 Anna Maffi, David Rapport
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