Biocultural Diversity

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and linguistic diversity around the world.

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Welcome to Terralingua!

Sustaining biocultural diversity — the true web of life.

For the past 25 years, we’ve been promoting understanding, appreciation, and support of biocultural diversity — the vital diversity of life in nature and culture.

Biocultural diversity is a living network made up of the millions of species of plants and animals that have evolved on Earth and of the thousands of human cultures and languages that have developed over time.

We believe that the world’s biodiversity, cultural diversity, and linguistic diversity are interdependent, bound together through the myriad ways in which people have interacted with the natural environment, and that sustaining biocultural diversity is essential for a healthy, just, and resilient future of life on earth.

And that’s why we are raising awareness about the converging extinction crisis of diversity in nature and culture and seeking to inspire a global biocultural extinction rebellion to counter that loss. Learn more about biocultural diversity.

Featured Projects

**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

Donate to elevate young Indigenous voices!

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Sponsor a young Indigenous writer or artist. We’re raising funds to offer honoraria to the young Indigenous writers and artists whose stories, poems, digital media, and artwork we published in Langscape Magazine Vol. 9, released in December 2020. Help us show our gratitude to these talented young visionaries. Learn How

Voices of the Earth

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We’re supporting Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ efforts to maintain or recover their languages and cultural traditions. Explore projects with the W̱SÁNEĆ and Tsilhqot’in First Nations in British Columbia, Canada; Swahili communities in Zanzibar, East Africa; and Xhosa youth in South Africa. 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

Flourishing at Twenty-Five: On Context and Foundations in the Rise of the Concept of Biocultural Diversity

Biocultural Diversity: Reason, Ethics, and Emotion

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 BCD 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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Pandemic Perspectives: Mayan Communities Reconnecting with Nature

During a pandemic, Indigenous communities tend to be among the most vulnerable, given their often-limited access to water, food supplies, adequate healthcare, and other factors. In this special “Pandemic Perspectives” series of our Dispatches, we’re sharing stories from around the world to shed some light on the obstacles Indigenous Peoples face in light of COVID-19

Creating Spaces for Indigenous Voices: Q&A with Nigel Crawhall of UNESCO

Since Terralingua’s founding in 1996, our mission has been to promote the understanding and appreciation of biocultural diversity (diversity in nature, culture, and language), and to serve as a platform for amplifying Indigenous voices. Over the years, we’ve been privileged to form productive working relationships with likeminded colleagues, including Nigel Crawhall—sociolinguist and Chief of Section,

Wai Wai community Guyana Masekenari, August 2008. Photo by Cristina Mittermeier

Sponsor a Young Indigenous Writer/Artist on Giving Tuesday

Over the past two years, we at Terralingua have been sharing with you more and more biocultural diversity stories by Indigenous writers and artists—particularly from the younger generations—on the pages of Langscape Magazine and through our digital and social media channels. We think it’s critical for diverse Indigenous voices to be heard and want to

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