Welcome to Terralingua — Your Hub for Biocultural Diversity.

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Did you know? Biocultural diversity is the diversity of life in nature and culture. It’s a living network made up of the millions of species of plants and animals and the thousands of human cultures and languages that have evolved on earth. And you are a part of it!

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Think of it as biodiversity, cultural diversity, and linguistic diversity all bound together — interconnected and interdependent. That “inextricable link” has arisen over time through coevolution and through the myriad ways in which people around the globe have interacted with the natural environment.

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We at Terralingua came together around the idea of “biocultural diversity” nearly 30 years ago. In fact, we coined that term! We recognized that diversity in both nature and culture is vital for the thriving of life on earth, and since then we’ve been promoting understanding, appreciation, and support of biocultural diversity worldwide.

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If you, like us, believe that sustaining biocultural diversity is essential for a healthy, just, and resilient future of life on earth, you’ve come to the right place! We’re your hub to learn more about biocultural diversity, where you can read stories, find resources, watch videos and listen to podcasts, and more.

Featured Updates

Langscape Magazine - 13 - Coming Soon Cover

**Pre-Order Your Print Copy of “Territories of Life,” Langscape Vol. 13**

Essays, stories, and poetry, breathtaking images, stunning filmography, potent artwork, and creative dance — “Territories of Life” is a concept that embodies the core tenet of biocultural diversity: that there’s an inextricable mutual link between people and the natural world. Pre-Order Langscape Magazine

Purchase the Latest Issue of Langscape Magazine!

Langscape Magazine Vol. 12 was an invitation to storytellers around the world to share their ideas, reflections, and on-the-ground experiences about the interplay of rights and responsibilities and how that dynamic contributes to fostering a biocultural resurgence. Buy a Copy

Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle

Explore inspiring first-person stories from Indigenous youths worldwide! We started our Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle in 2019 as an official project of the UN’s International Year of Indigenous Languages. The project was such a great success that we are continuing to gather and publish their important stories. Learn More.

Langscape Magazine

Unique stories celebrating the bounty of diversity in nature and culture. Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices and viewpoints. Stunning pictures, videos, and art. Discover Langscape Magazine, our flagship publication — thought-provoking, inspiring, and always ad-free.

Explore

Conservation Deeds by the People, for the People

In Papua New Guinea, Indigenous communities adopt conservation deeds to protect their lands on their own terms. Tanya Zeriga and Mavis Jimbudo . In Papua New Guinea, land-holding clans are adopting conservation deeds to implement conservation projects. Why are they choosing to use contract law (legally binding agreements between parties, creating mutual obligations) over government-sanctioned

Voices of the Hindu Kush

In a remote area of northwestern Pakistan, the Kalash community has maintained harmony with its territory of life. WORDS AND IMAGES Ajaz Ahmed The Kalash or Kalasha people are a distinctive Indo-Aryan community nestled in the Hindu Kush mountain range, in Chitral District of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. For the past fifteen years, I

Conservation Deeds by the People, for the People

In Papua New Guinea, Indigenous communities adopt conservation deeds to protect their lands on their own terms. Tanya Zeriga and Mavis Jimbudo . In Papua New Guinea, land-holding clans are adopting conservation deeds to implement conservation projects. Why are they choosing to use contract law (legally binding agreements between parties, creating mutual obligations) over government-sanctioned

Voices of the Hindu Kush

In a remote area of northwestern Pakistan, the Kalash community has maintained harmony with its territory of life. WORDS AND IMAGES Ajaz Ahmed The Kalash or Kalasha people are a distinctive Indo-Aryan community nestled in the Hindu Kush mountain range, in Chitral District of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. For the past fifteen years, I

Featured Projects

Life in the Satpura Hills

Despite the challenges of changing times, the Bhils of Maharashtra stay connected to the forest, their homeland, and their cultural traditions. Shankar Bhil This story is about my people, the Bhils of Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, India. It shows how connected we are to our land. The Bhils are one of the largest Indigenous

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Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle

Explore inspiring, first-person stories from Indigenous youth worldwide — and share your own! Our Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle (IYSC) provides a global platform for Indigenous youths to share their unique perspectives online and/or in print via Langscape Magazine, Terralingua’s flagship publication.

Explore

News & Views

Introducing Our IYSC Ambassadors

Meet the Planet’s 6 Savviest Young Ambassadors When you hear the word ‘ambassador,’ what pops into your mind? Maybe a fancy suit sitting on a jet? A clear case of youth leading the way… to a global biocultural resurgence Quick! When you hear “ambassador,” what pops into your mind? Maybe a fancy suit sitting on

Restoring and Sharing: 7 Recipes for Thriving in the Symbiocene

A path to a world of abundance, respect, and reciprocity is open to us — if we follow Indigenous ways of coexistence with the more-than-human. In our hearts, we all know it: we are at a crossroads in human history, and we are faced with a choice between two paths. One leads down a spiral

Seeking a Communications Coordinator

POSTING NOW CLOSED: Terralingua is seeking an independent contractor to support our organization with its social media and external communications needs on a part-time basis. If you’re someone who has education or equivalent work experience in communications and if you have an interest in cultural diversity, linguistic diversity, and biodiversity — aka biocultural diversity —

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