Conservation from the bottom up: drawing inspiration from human-nature connections

Abstract

Increasing exploitation and commodification of the world’s species and natural systems threaten biological diversity as well as human cultural diversity. Approximately 1000 known species and an estimated half of the world’s languages have gone extinct over the last 500 years. Increasing human populations and impacts may threaten 30-50% of remaining species within the next several decades, and many extant languages are in danger of extinction, illustrating how the fates of both biological and human cultural diversity may be entwined. We explore challenges and opportunities to stem this tide of homogenization using cultural traditions that have conservation implications. We highlight case studies with birds in Europe, Africa, Amazonia, and Asia, including examples from Latvia, Ghana, Peru, and Taiwan. We present examples of successful conservation collaborations inspired by cultural beliefs and practices, and ask workshop participants to come with their own stories to share. One example is indigenous Amazonian communities who are working with scientists to protect and sustainably manage a large area of primary forest and its birds in northern Peru, and whose cultural heritage includes a large number of traditional stories of birds as messengers to and helpers of people. How can we take inspiration from cultural traditions celebrating biodiversity and use these for conservation innovation, propelling the conservation movement forward and protecting unique species, areas, and cultures into the future? Our goal is to bring together and build a network of people advancing conservation through innovative initiatives that incorporate or transform cultural traditions and practices. We will use group discussion and brainstorming to create new collaborations, bringing together salient experiences we can use to advance conservation. We will document the experiences shared during the workshop and use these to make the basis of an article on conservation innovation that we will offer for consideration in the special issue on planetary wellbeing in Conservation Biology. This article will include case studies from around the world (Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Americas) that use cultural traditions as a basis for conservation, both historically, currently, and those proposed for the future.