COMMONALITIES BETWEEN CULTURAL AND BIO-DIVERSITY Term Paper by Marina Maiero and Xiaomeng Shen Bonn, November 2004 Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 3 Acronyms......................................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction: the diversity of life...................................................................... 4 2. Biodiversity................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 What is Biodiversity? ...................................................................................... 4 2.2 Why should we conserve biodiversity?.................................................... 5 3. Cultural Diversity .................................................................................................... 5 3.1 What are culture and cultural diversity?................................................. 5 3.2 Why should we conserve cultural diversity?.......................................... 6 4. Linkages and interaction between biodiversity and cultural diversity7 4.1 The concept of biocultural diversity.......................................................... 7 4.2 Biodiversity and world religions/philosophies....................................... 8 4.3 Biodiversity and languages and indigenous knowledge.................... 9 5. Common threats to the world’s diversity ...................................................... 9 5.1 The process of extinction of biodiversity ................................................ 9 5.1.1 Promoting nature and Human well-being through a global Convention............................................................................................................ 10 5.2 The process of extinction of cultural diversity.................................... 11 5.3 Globalization and the world’s diversity – threat or not?................. 12 6. Biocultural diversity: a new approach towards a more effective conservation of the world’s diversity.................................................................. 13 6.1 An holistic approach to natural and cultural systems...................... 13 6.2 Quantitative Method used in the new approach: A Global Index of Biocultural Diversity......................................................................................... 13 6.2.1 Purpose of the IBCD.............................................................................. 14 6.2.2 Data sources for the indicators......................................................... 14 6.2.3 Limitations of the IBCD........................................................................ 14 6.2.4 Method for calculating the IBCD components............................. 15 6.2.5 Results form the three components ............................................... 16 7. Conclusion................................................................................................................ 17 8. Appendix................................................................................................................... 19 Calculating the IBCD components................................................................... 19 Tables.......................................................................................................................... 21 References .................................................................................................................... 23 2 Executive Summary Language, religions and knowledge diversities and the environment diversities have been intimately related throughout human history. However, it is only in our era of globalization, on the light of the continuing process of extinction of cultural and biological diversity, that natural and social sciences have increased their attention on the complex and diverse phenomena of the human relationship with the environment. The growing recognition of the commonalities and the interlinkages of these dual realms of diversity and the fact that the breakdown of these connections underlies many of the environmental and social problems humanity is facing, have let to frame a new field called “biocultural diversity”, which is defined as the total variety exhibited by the world’s natural and cultural systems. The main objective of this term paper is to introduce the recent and not yet widespread concept of biocultural diversity and to show some exemplary preliminary qualitative and quantitative results of scholars regarding the relations between biological and cultural diversity dimensions which suggest that, success in conserving biological diversity may well be interrelated to the maintenance of cultural diversity, and that, conversely, the loss of cultural diversity is part and parcel of the same socio-economic and political processes leading to biodiversity loss. Acronyms BD Biological Diversity CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CD Cultural Diversity ED Ethnic Group Diversity IBCD Index on Biocultural Diversity IUNC International Union for the Conservation of the Nature LD Language Diversity RD Religion Diversity UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNEP United Nations Environmental Program WRI World Resources Institute WWF World Wildlife Fund UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 3 "Biodiversity is not an object to be conserved. It is an integral part of human existence, in which utilization is part of the celebration of life” (Posey 1999: 7). 1. Introduction: the diversity of life The most striking characteristic of life on Earth is its enormous diversity. The diversity of life on Earth is formed not only by the variety of plant and animal species and ecosystems found in nature (biodiversity), but also by the variety of cultures, languages, religions and philosophies in human societies (cultural diversity). The relationships between biological and cultural diversity, and the growing threats they face in common, have drawn increasing attention over the last decade. Concerns about these dual realms of diversity have found their way into the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) – the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and they are reflected in the ensuing international action plans and instruments (Agenda 21; Rio Declaration; Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD], and subsequent others), as well as in major global biodiversity conservation plans and policies (WRI/IUCN/UNEP 1992; UNEP 1995; IUCN 1997; IUCN/WWF 1998; WWF 1998b). During the 1990s, it became increasingly apparent that human relationship with the environment is a highly complex and diverse phenomenon and that, the biodiversity crisis should be understood on the basis of a more detailed evaluation of the interactions among a wide range of social, cultural, economic, political and ecological variables. This perspective has led to rise, in both the environmental and the social sciences, of an integrated biocultural approach to the planet’s environmental crisis, suggesting that success in conserving biological diversity may well be interrelated to the maintenance of cultural diversity, and that, conversely, the loss of cultural diversity is part and parcel of the same socio-economic and political processes leading to biodiversity loss. This term paper attempts to:1) describe both world’s biodiversity and its cultural diversity; 2) present the threats that each of them is facing; 3) frame the concept of biocultural diversity in order to show the interlinkages and commonalities between linguistic, religious, cultural and biological diversity; 4) present a quantitative measurement of biocultural diversity. 2. Biodiversity 2.1 What is Biodiversity? Biological diversity – or biodiversity- is the term given to the variety of life on the earth and the natural patterns it forms (CBD). The history of the natural world is the history of the increase in the number of species of living organisms over time. So far about 1.75 million different species of plants, animals, fungi, algae, bacteria and viruses have been identified. And that figure is small compared to the total number of species that scientists believe may exist on the planet. Biologists reckon that the number of species currently living on Earth may range between 5 and 15 4 million, though estimates range from 3 to 100 million. Scientific evidence indicates that most natural diversity is concentrated in the tropical regions of the planet. The highest species diversity is found in the forests of the tropics (such as the rain forests of the Amazon Basin in South America, the Congo Basin in central Africa, and many parts of South Asia and the Pacific), as well as in certain marine and coastal environments (such as coral reefs and mangroves). However, a remarkable variety of plant and animal species exists in all kinds of environments. This includes tundra (the treeless plains of the Arctic regions) and deserts, whose flora and fauna often include species that are rare or endemic*. 2.2 Why should we conserve biodiversity? Biodiversity is essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems (the systems formed by the interactions of living organisms with their environments) and to the ability of ecosystems to provide their vital service. These « ecosystem services » include recycling soil nutrients, pollination, purifying the air, and providing fresh water as well as biological materials for food,