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Biocultural Diversity Toolkit

Terralingua’s work has covered a lot of ground — from first proposing the idea of biocultural diversity (BCD) all the way to establishing it in many fields of research, policy, and practice.

The Biocultural Diversity Toolkit brings together many of the results of this multifaceted program of work. As a result, it offers information, insights, and instruments useful to anyone interested in undertaking studies or taking action from a biocultural perspective.

Understanding BCD

What on earth is biocultural diversity? Terralingua’s pioneering books and educational writings explore the idea in theory and practice, and lay the foundations for an integrative field of knowledge and action.

Mapping BCD

Where in the world is biocultural diversity? Our first-ever biocultural maps show the overlapping global distributions of biodiversity and linguistic diversity, and the companion documents analyze the patterns.

Measuring BCD

How do we know what’s happening with the world’s biocultural diversity? Our indicators assess the state and trends of two key components of that diversity: languages and traditional environmental knowledge.

Photo by George Appell

Documenting BCD

What to do if a language and the cultural knowledge it expresses are slipping away? Documentation is an important step toward revitalization. We’ve put together some handy resources for that purpose.

Photo by Jamie Beck Alexander

Conserving BCD

What does it mean to conserve biocultural diversity? To Terralingua it means ensuring the continued vitality and resilience of the world’s languages, cultures, and ecosystems. We’ve developed resources and examples.

Photo by David Rapport

Policy for BCD

How to safeguard the future of life on earth? One important way is by promoting policies and programs that recognize and support the value of biocultural diversity. We’ve worked for that in many international fora.

Are these resources useful to you? Please donate to help us keep growing this hub and continue to make these resources available.

The projects that now comprise the Biocultural Diversity Toolkit have been made possible over the years by funding from numerous foundations and other institutions, whose generous support we gratefully acknowledge. They include, among others: the Ford Foundation, The Christensen Fund, the Swift Foundation, the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research, the New England Biolabs Foundation, IUCN, UNESCO, UNEP-WCMC, and WWF.

Photo Credits

Documenting BCD – © George Appell
Conserving BCD – © Jamie Beck Alexander
Policy for BCD – © David Rapport

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