3. Biocultural Systems
In developing the Potato Park as a practical framework, one of the first outcomes from the research carried
out by ANDES, IIED, and the Potato Park was the definition of the concept of Biocultural Systems. This is
based on traditional concepts of conservation and sustainable use and has provided the foundations for the
Park’s policies in most areas, but particularly access to biodiversity and genetic resources, and associated
traditional knowledge, as well as fair and equitable benefit sharing. The Biocultural Systems concept has been
particularly valuable in relation to the elaboration of principles for benefit sharing because of the way it has
highlighted that internal mechanisms within the Park are as important as the framework for engagement with
external actors.
‘Biocultural System’ is a term that describes an indivisible system containing the knowledge, innovations,
and practices of Indigenous and local communities, as they are collectively maintained. It incorporates the
traditional territory itself, including natural resources and the diversity of genes, variety of crops, species,
and ecosystems, and the cultural and spiritual values and laws developed within the socio-ecological context
of the communities. These elements are customary parts of knowledge systems and are, in general, linked
to cosmological beliefs as part of the Indigenous ‘cosmovision,’ or holistic view of the world. The strong links
between human society and the environment, which form part of the lived experience of the communities of the
Potato Park (and other Indigenous Peoples) suggest that biological and cultural resources are interdependent
manifestations of the diversity of life on Earth. The natural environment is considered an essential part of
human society just as many biological resources – such as diverse crops and healthy ecosystems – depend
on time-honoured practices of breeding and stewardship. Therefore, the concept of Biocultural Systems
broadly reflects the Ayllu system and the aspiration for Sumaq Causay mentioned earlier.
In terms of biodiversity management, the concept of ‘Biocultural Systems’ immediately leads to the point
that resources, territories, culture, and traditional knowledge cannot be treated as separate objects that
may be permanently alienated, but must be considered as a biocultural whole to which limited rights of
access may be granted. Academically, there are parallels between this latter point and with the concept
of transdisciplinarity. This is in the sense that both transdisciplinarity as a concept and (many) indigenous
cosmovisions are incommensurable with the (artificial) separation of knowledge-about-the-world into bounded,
and doctrinal disciplines such as ‘economics’, ‘law’ or ‘biology’. Consequently, the maintenance of functioning
Biocultural Systems requires a recognition of several key points:
1) The elements of a biocultural system must be treated as a whole. For example, a landscape provides
physical space for biodiversity and knowledge development, while knowledge about a plant resource and the
resource itself have a symbiotic relationship where the removal of one will lead to the destruction of the other.
2) Traditional knowledge and customary laws are intimately linked with their location and subjects.
3) Cultural and spiritual values shape the processes through which Indigenous Peoples, and probably all
peoples, acquire, use, and transmit knowledge, thereby ensuring continuity.
4) Resources and knowledge are fundamentally linked to communities and, while they may be made use of,
they cannot be permanently removed without damaging the community.
3.1 T he challenges to biocultural systems and the development of biocultural
protocols
The holistic concept has been central in the Indigenous biodiversity agenda where identity is fundamental
in their relationships with states. Existing constitutional and legal frameworks have begun to recognize
the rights of indigenous peoples to ancestral territoriality, despite the context of persecution and forced
displacement. Indigenous peoples underline that the recognition of prior informed consent and equity within
an alien conceptual framework is not enough: they also demand their right to difference, that is, recognition
of special rights for Mother Earth, including biological and genetic resources.
Community Biocultural Protocols
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