13
SECTION II
INTRODUCTION TO BIOCULTURAL
COMMUNITY PROTOCOLS
A.
WHAT IS A BIOCULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL?
Indigenous peoples and many local communities have close connections with specific territories or areas,
which are the foundations of their identities, cultures, languages, and ways of life. This is sometimes
referred to as collective biocultural heritage (see Box 1). Systems of self-governance and self-management
have been developed over many generations, underpinned by customary laws, values, and beliefs. These
decision-making systems enable communities to sustain their livelihoods and provide for future
generations within the natural limits of their territories and areas.
Collective biocultural heritage is the knowledge,
innovations, and practices of Indigenous peoples and
local and mobile communities that are collectively held
and inextricably linked to traditional resources and
territories, local economies, the diversity of genes,
varieties, species and ecosystems, cultural and spiritual
values, and customary laws shaped within the socioecological context of communities.
Many Indigenous peoples and local
communities have customary rules and
procedures, also known as protocols, to
regulate conduct and interactions between
themselves and outsiders. Protocols form
an important part of customary law and are
codified in many different ways such as
oral traditions and folklore, dances,
carvings, and designs.
Box 1: Definition of collective biocultural heritage (Developed at a
Over
the
past
several
decades,
communities have been increasingly
engaging with external actors such as
government
agencies,
researchers,
companies, and conservation organizations. Sometimes this engagement occurs according to
communities’ protocols and locally defined priorities. In many cases, however, the terms of the
engagement are initiated and defined by the external actor; communities often have to act defensively in
response to imposed plans or threats.
2005 workshop of research and Indigenous partners of the Traditional
Knowledge Protection and Customary Law project; Source: Swiderska,
2006)
As a result, there is growing recognition of the potential usefulness of articulating communities’ protocols
in forms that can be understood by others. Doing so can help put external actors on notice about the
community’s identity and ways of life, customary values and laws, and procedures for engagement. It can
also catalyze constructive dialogue and collaboration to support the community’s plans and priorities in
locally appropriate ways. These new forms of protocols are also called “biocultural community protocols”.