The Hewa of Papua New Guinea pursue conservation-based development by maintaining traditional biodiverse mosaics on their lands. William Thomas . Why does cultural diversity go hand in hand with biodiversity? What’s the secret? Do Indigenous societies hold some special knowledge that we in the developed world have lost, or have we misinterpreted the relationship between

A collaborative project centers more-than-human worlds in Bhutan’s protected and conserved areas. WORDS David Hecht with Gyempo Wangchuk | ART Gyempo Wangchuk , It’s the middle of the dry season, the mountains hold fresh snow, and the sun shines brightly in the cloudless blue sky as we drive through Trashi Yangtse in Eastern Bhutan. “I

Rooted in place like radicles that nourish plant seeds, Indigenous Peoples’ relationships to their territories of life re-emerge despite the legacy of colonialism. Faisal Moola and Kanna K. Siripurapu   . Over the last decade, the conservation community has begun to recognize the often-devastating impacts of traditional parks and planning processes on Indigenous Peoples. In

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

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

Gaoli pastoralists in central India assert their traditional natural resource governance against fortress conservation. Ajinkya Shahane, Pandhari Hekade, Kanna K. Siripurapu, and Prafulla Kalokar   The Melghat region of the Satpura Range in central India is renowned for its lush green forests, its tigers, and the Korku Indigenous tribe, who once lived in the forest

A young Brunca historian follows her grandfather’s lifelong example of resisting colonialism and protecting the biocultural diversity of her people. WORDS María Lázaro │ IMAGES María Lázaro and Jessica Lázaro [Esta es una versión modificada del original en español. Traducción de Andrea Vargas y Peter Tonkin. — Ed.] [This is a modified version of the original

In Mexico and Canada, a budding environmentalist learns important lessons in awareness and responsibility. WORDS AND IMAGES Brian Jones     Growing up in Mexico in the 1990s, I always loved nature and wildlife, particularly the great diversity of species that one can see in jungles and on beaches along the country’s Pacific coast. When

In Hawaiʻi, the concept of rights is more accurately understood to mean responsibilities. Kawika Winter . Highly advanced societies have existed at various points throughout antiquity, before the modern era of globalization. Some have been classified as “civilizations,” and they have been taken as models for how we humans should live on this planet. The

An Indigenous community’s respect toward all life offers a hopeful vision to the world. WORDS AND IMAGES    Suprita Chatterjee . India has a large population of Indigenous Peoples, with an estimated population of 104 million (2011 census), a large majority of them living in the northeast region of the country. Often seen as a