Biocultural Diversity

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Sustaining biodiversity, cultural diversity,

and linguistic diversity around the world.

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biocultural diversity with us!

Terralingua

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THE

Biocultural
Extinction
Rebellion

Join the movement to end the extinction of species, cultures,
and languages.

Welcome to Terralingua — Your Hub for Biocultural Diversity.

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!

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.

We at Terralingua came together around the idea of “biocultural diversity” 25 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.

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 for learning more about biocultural diversity, then read stories, find resources, watch videos and listen to podcasts, and more.

Project Highlights

A Call for Stories to the Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle

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Our 2021 Call for Stories for the Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle is now over. Are you an Indigenous youth who has something to say about your experiences connecting to your ancestral languages, cultures, and lands? If so, scroll to the bottom of this page and sign up for our newsletter to receive our next call for stories. Read stories by Indigenous youth.

**Submit a Story to Langscape Magazine Vol. 11**

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Our Call for stories for next year’s Langscape Magazine is now over. For this issue, we’ve received stories about how the Indigenous principles of Reverence, Respect, and Reciprocity help build a just, equitable, sustainable world in which biocultural diversity can thrive. Scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for our e-news to be notified about the release of our next issue.

**The Other Extinction Rebellion: Countering the Loss of Biocultural Diversity**

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Langscape Magazine Vol. 9 is here! Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from around the world share their stories of the Biocultural Diversity Extinction Rebellion — a new global movement in response to another existential crisis, the twin loss of diversity in nature and culture. Available in print or PDF. Buy Now

Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle

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Explore inspiring first-person stories from Indigenous youth worldwide! We started our Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle (IYSC) 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 Indigenous youth 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

Of Cassowaries and Men: Mapping Indigenous Knowledge Networks to Empower Biocultural Conservation in New Guinea

Text by William H. Thomas Social Network Analysis and graphs by Chris Leberknight I began working in New Guinea in 1988. My first teacher was a man named Tama. Tama was born and had spent most of his life in the heart of this island, roaming the forests at the headwaters of the Strickland River

People and Plants: Sustaining Agrobiodiversity through Art and Science in Zimbabwe

Text, photos, and drawings by Saori Ogura . Dawn in the village. As the Milky Way—gwararakurumvi—recedes from a sky of deep navy blue, birds start to fly over the fields, espying millet and sorghum. The sun orb pierces the horizon and moves midheavenward. It’s March 2016, and I am a guest in the traditional chiefdom

Our Work

Our Biocultural Diversity Toolkit

Discover a wealth of resources and tools to help you understand biocultural diversity and learn how you can help to sustain it worldwide. Learn More

Biocultural Diversity Bookshelf

Browse a collection of helpful books, maps, reports, and other media to assist you on your biocultural diversity journey. Learn More

Biocultural Diversity Education Initiative

Use our educational resources to foster students’ curiosity and caring for the diversity of life in nature and culture. Learn More

News & Views

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First Nations Protest BC Provincial Legislature July 1

Righting the Incalculable Wrongs of Indian Residential Schools in Canada

For the past twenty-five years, Terralingua has stood for the vital value of biocultural diversity—the interlinked diversity of life in nature and culture. Biocultural diversity lies at the very core of our awareness-raising mission and of our vision for a just, equitable, and sustainable world. Our work has shown that the global distribution of biodiversity

A call to photographers and artists!

Photographers and artists, have your image* published on the next cover of Langscape Magazine! We are looking for happy, festive images from around the world that celebrate the interconnection of people and nature. Submit by Aug. 31st. This year, we’re celebrating 25 years of Terralingua and biocultural diversity. On this festive occasion, we are producing

photo for Indigenous Youth Call for Stories

Indigenous Youth, Send Your Story!

Are you a young Indigenous person who would like to share your experiences connecting to your ancestral languages, cultures, and lands? If so, we want you to send us an Expression of Interest! Proposed stories can be essays, short fiction, poetry, photo essays, videos, podcast scripts, music, spoken word, and artwork. The Indigenous Youth Storytellers

<img src="https://terralingua.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Logo-image-Terralingua-wording_61px-high.png" alt="Lifeline" />