Description
Over the years, Terralingua has spearheaded research and applied work that have helped forge an integrated biocultural perspective on nature conservation and human development: an approach that values diversity in both nature and culture and recognizes the inextricable link between people and the natural environment. While there is growing awareness of the critical importance of biocultural diversity for the vitality and resilience of our planet, stemming the continued erosion of our life systems in both nature and culture requires a decisive effort to communicate, educate, share insights, and promote a new vision for human futures.
The Toolkit is meant to address that need. It weaves together many strands of Terralingua’s work, along with the contributions of key partners and collaborators, into a unique publication that aims to deepen understanding of the complex changes that are weakening the biocultural fabric of life and to foster action to counter this trend.
The five volumes comprise an introduction to biocultural diversity, followed by perspectives and tools relevant to the assessment, documentation, and conservation of key aspects of biocultural diversity: linguistic diversity, traditional knowledge systems, and Indigenous oral traditions. The last volume covers various biocultural frameworks and approaches relevant to biodiversity conservation and human development.
Terralingua’s Biocultural Diversity Toolkit project was funded by the Swift Foundation, whose support is gratefully acknowledged.
Vol. 1 | An Introduction to Biocultural Diversity
A primer on the concept of biocultural diversity and its relevance in policy and practice for sustaining the diversity of life in nature and culture.
Vol. 2 | Assessing the State of the World’s Languages
An introduction to the world’s linguistic diversity and the use of Terralingua’s Index of Linguistic Diversity (ILD) to track changes over time in the numbers of mother-tongue speakers of the world’s languages.
Vol. 3 | Assessing the Vitality of Traditional Environmental Knowledge
Note: Vol. 3 is currently under revision and not available at this time.
Vol. 4 | Documenting and Revitalizing Oral Traditions
An introduction to the importance of documenting and transmitting place-based oral traditions and traditional knowledge for the conservation of nature and to relevant tools and methodologies.
Vol. 5 | Biocultural Approaches to Conservation and Development
An overview of biocultural approaches to community-based development, the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, and of some of the relevant tools and methodologies.