Our program of work revolves around the idea that we pioneered in 1996 and have spearheaded since: biocultural diversity. We seek to illuminate and promote this idea through a multifaceted approach that rests on four pillars: Research, Outreach and Communications, Education, and Community-of-Practice Building.
About Our Work

Pillar One: Research
Our research has been instrumental in establishing the foundations of the concept and field of biocultural diversity, in both theory and practice. The results of our ground-breaking work (books, reports, maps, indicators, and various other resources) are found in our Learning Center, under the Biocultural Diversity Toolkit and under Publications and Media.
These resources are sought after and frequently used in teaching and learning, and they have inspired more research and applied work worldwide. Today, we continue to be actively engaged in transformative idea-making and idea-sharing through collaborations with academic and research institutions around the globe.
Pillar Two: Outreach and Communications
Storytelling is the main tool for our global outreach efforts. We offer a venue to Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors to tell their stories on biocultural themes in our Langscape Magazine. We also provide a platform specifically for Indigenous youths in our Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle. Our blog hosts timely “From the Field” reports.
Together, these media have become a prominent voice for biocultural diversity. They comprise hundreds of stories — the largest known repository of biocultural storytelling by ethnically and culturally diverse contributors worldwide. This body of stories can be searched through our Stories Directory.
Our Voices of the Earth project has allowed communities in Africa and North America to tell and document their stories through video, books, and oral history collections.
Complementing this outreach are our online communications through social media and enews (see below).
Pillar Three: Education
Through our educational efforts we seek not simply to teach about biocultural diversity but rather to promote learning that is rooted in a holistic biocultural perspective and fosters an integrated way of thinking of our place in the world: as a part of nature, not as apart from it.
We developed a framework for a biocultural approach to education and a variety of other educational resources that are found in our Learning Center under Biocultural Diversity Education. All the other resources in the Learning Center , as well as our Stories Directory, are also useful — and have been widely used — for educational purposes.
We actively partner with academic and other institutions worldwide on biocultural education, training, and research. We are especially keen to contribute to efforts that aim to bring down the barriers between academia and Indigenous or local communities and to advance two-way learning and a constructive, respectful dialogue between western and Indigenous science.
Pillar Four: Community-of-Practice Building
Since our beginnings, partnerships and collaborations have been a mainstay of our approach to championing biocultural diversity. In particular, building on the pioneering analysis in our Biocultural Diversity Conservation: A Global Sourcebook (2010), we have been joining forces with policy makers, practitioners, and communities to develop and promote biocultural and community-led approaches to conservation.
Our biocultural conservation framework and a portal of case studies from all over the world are found under Conserving Biocultural Diversity in our Learning Center.
Our Partnerships page features a list of the like-minded organizations, institutions, and networks around the world that we have made common cause with over the years to foster a biocultural community of practice.
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