by Soner Oruç and Ceren Kazancı . . In 2016, we set off on a journey to the highlands (yaylas) of the Georgia–Turkey border region. We were very excited and eager to learn new things. We wanted to breathe some fresh mountain air, drink from pasture springs, and get in touch with the pastoralists of
by Michaela Jeannaisse Carter . . In July 2017, I abandoned my Pacific Northwest summer break in North America in favor of a tropical winter internship a little closer to home. I flew across the Pacific Ocean to join a small but ambitious effort that was about to begin on the ancestral homelands of the Bama
Text and photos by Emmeline Topp “You know how the Swartland got its name? It’s the Black Land,” the farmer tells me. His face is lined beyond his thirty-two years, decades of weather and work deepening its contours and tanning its skin. “When the Europeans first arrived two hundred years ago, all they saw was
by Andrea Giacomelli . To reach the Farma Valley in Southern Tuscany, Italy, you need to stray far off the standard tourist routes south of Siena and away from the seaside, too. Set in the heart of the Metalliferous Hills, the valley covers approximately 120 square kilometers and includes three natural conservation areas with a
Text and photos by Fassil Gebeyehu Yelemtu I shall tell the story of my community in this article, but let me first say a few words about my interest in biocultural diversity conservation. Being exposed to the modern world and looking at unsuccessful stories of nature conservation, I always ask myself what the missing link
by Marina Aman Sham Malaysia is a vast country with a mosaic of cultures blending Asian and European influences. Its natural heritage spans rainforests that are home to many species of endemic wildlife, the great heights of its mountains, and seas filled with amazing underwater creatures. I am from Sabah, the Malaysian portion of the
by Laurent Jean Pierre “What is it that one has in one’s dwelling place, that until you dance with it, it does not work for you?” “The broom.” —Traditional St. Lucian Tim Tim riddle Latanyé brooms (brooms made from the indigenous palm Coccothrinax barbadensis, locally known as Latanyé) have been around in St. Lucia for
Joakim Boström, Anna-Märta Henriksson, and Marie Kvarnström In the villages of the Kalix archipelago in the far north of Sweden, the community-based organization Kustringen is aiming to conserve local and traditional knowledge, practices, and innovations related to fishing and archipelago life in general. The archipelago lies in the Bothnian Bay, the northernmost part of the
Text and photos by Yolanda López-Maldonado . “This is the account of how all was in suspense, all calm, in silence; all motionless, still, and the expanse of the sky was empty. . . . There was nothing standing, only the calm water, the placid sea, alone and tranquil. Nothing existed.” — Popol Vuh . . It’s rainy season in
by Jessica Brown In late 2016, I made my first visit to the sacred forest that belongs to a village in the Togo mountain range of eastern Ghana, hiking up a small mountain to the forest accompanied by a dozen or so people from the community. The sun was beginning to set over the Volta