A BIO-CULTURAL CRITIQUE OF THE CBD AND ABS
PART I / CHAPTER 1
3. Bio-cultural Communities
ILCs’ cultures are mega-diverse, yet share certain commonalities.
and have worked to integrate their views into international
Many ILCs living traditional lifestyles that have conserved
laws and other ILC declarations. The sections below outline
ecosystems share a conception of the self not as a unit separate
several ILCs’ declarations, all of which place emphasis on
from the world over which they have proprietary rights,
spiritual, cultural and reciprocal relationships with the land,
but rather an understanding of the self as integrated with the
interconnectedness with all forms of life, custodianship of
land and embedded within an ethical relationship. TK then is
territories and knowledge for future generations, ethical use
not a value-neutral piece of information but is interconnected
and treatment of all forms of life, and opposition to
with a way of knowing that is a result of an interaction between
understanding life and knowledge as property.
ILCs and the land that is rooted in cultural practices and
spiritual values and enshrined in customary laws. Notably, it
Diagram 1: Illustrating the holistic nature of ILCs’ relationship
is this bio-cultural relationship (see Diagram 1),
with ecosystems and the links between biodiversity, communities’
not their proprietary rights over TK, that has contributed
culture & spirituality, customary laws, community-based natural
to centuries of in situ conservation of biological diversity.
resource management, TK, and the formation of landscapes.
ILCs have consistently highlighted their integral relationships
with the environment at various international meetings
LANDSCAPE
TRADITIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
BIODIVERSITY
CULTURE &
SPIRITUALITY
CBNRM
CUSTOMARY LAW
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