Chapter 02 · Nature, land & waterBiodiversity & Nature
Biocultural diversity
Definition
The dynamic, place-based diversity arising from links and feedback between cultural diversity and biological diversity — encompassing the diversity of life, of cultures and of languages, and their interdependence. An IPBES-accepted definition (2017) describes "biocultural" as a state resulting from the interaction of people and nature at a given time and place; a 2018 CBD decision defines biocultural diversity as "biological diversity and cultural diversity and the links between them".
References
Overview
What it means
The concept rests on observed co-occurrence: regions of high biodiversity tend also to hold high linguistic and cultural diversity, much of it on lands managed by indigenous peoples and local communities whose knowledge systems co-evolved with their ecosystems.
The CBD–UNESCO Joint Programme of Work on the Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity (established 2010, renewed at COP15) operationalises the concept, and cultural landscapes under the World Heritage Convention are recognised as biocultural heritage.
How it is used
The framework supports integrated conservation: protecting indigenous languages and customary law as conservation strategy; indicators linking linguistic and biological diversity in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; and recognition of traditional knowledge in IPBES assessments.
Why it matters
Biocultural diversity reframes conservation from "people versus nature" to "people with nature": losing a language can mean losing generations of ecological knowledge, and securing indigenous tenure is among the most effective biodiversity protections known.