Workshop on Biocultural Community Protocols Held in Guatemala

Between March 18 and March 20, 2013, Eli Makagon attended a workshop on biocultural community protocols (BCPs) in Totonicapán, Guatemala. The workshop, coordinated by Guatemalan NGO Oxlajuj Ajpop and the Sacred Natural Sites Initiative, brought together representatives from communities in the region interested in learning more about BCPs, including their development and implementation. Over the course of the workshop, members from the communities of San Andres Sajcabaja, Chichicastenango, and Totonicapán shared information, provided background on the challenges their communities face, and discussed ways forward in the struggle for recognition of their customary rights. Challenges include loss of traditionally occupied land to government and external parties, deforestation, and internal conflict between those who ascribe to traditional Mayan beliefs and those who have converted to Christianity, Catholicism or Evangelicalism. The workshop was particularly timely in light of a recent decision by Guatemala’s highest court to uphold a mining law against a constitutional challenge brought by the Western Peoples’ Council (CPO) for lack of prior consultation with indigenous peoples.

Assisted by translator and facilitator Joseph Kuper, Eli presented on BCPs, explaining their purpose and providing examples of where they have been used. Community members met in groups to identify challenges, map stakeholders and allies, and discuss next steps in the BCP process. For the participants, the workshop offered an opportunity to learn more about BCPs as well as to exchange experiences regarding community organization and explore potential partnerships in the future.

National Geographic Post on Biocultural Diversity

Via nationalgeographic.com

Gleb Raygorodetsky of Natural Justice-partner the Sacred Sites Initiative has drafted a post at National Geographic on the intensifying erosion of the earth’s biodiversity entitled "Pulsating Heart of Nature: How to Ensure Our Collective Bioculturally Resilient Future." He notes the limits in the capacity of linear, reductionist thinking in seeking solutions to this degradation and encourages integrative fields of inquiry to develop new and more meaningful responses. 

He concludes by emphasising the need for a more holistic worldview based on valuing biocultural diversity, and lays out the following requirements for achieving this transformation: 

 “We must embrace change as an inalienable part of life, rather than trying to avert it at any cost. We must be realistic about the scope and scale of what should be done to correct the course, as well as what each of us is capable of doing him or herself. We must also expand our notion of community from a group of people united by their geographic or genetic proximity, to a broader global community inclusive of other like-minded individuals and groups united by their recognition of the value of biocultural diversity as the very ‘pulsating heart’ of Nature. We must work towards a biologically and culturally rich world not only through our work, but more importantly by changing our own thinking and actions.” 

 The post can be accessed here.

New Report on Sacred Natural Site Protection in Kenya

As Sacred Natural Sites in Kenya and around the world are increasingly threatened, the African Biodiversity Network, the Institute of Culture and Ecology and The Gaia Foundation have released a new report on the protection of Sacred Natural Sites entitled “Recognising Sacred Natural Sites and Territories in Kenya.” The report was commissioned after the enactment of Kenya’s new Constitution in 2010 and authored by Adam Hussein Adam. 

The report is targeted at communities, civil society, lawyers and policy makers. It examines how the Constitution, national and international laws can support the recognition of Sacred Natural Sites and their community governance systems. It makes recommendations for securing greater recognition of Sacred Natural Sites and Territories, and the rights and responsibilities of the communities who protect these sites. It also explores some of the issues which need to be addressed in the pending Community Land Act in Kenya.  

The executive summary can be downloaded here. The full report can be downloaded here.

Recognising Sacred Sites Could Double Conserved Area

Via www.cifor.org

As attendees of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) discussed how conserved areas can be increased from 12 to 17 percent of the earth's land to meet target 11 of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by the 2020 deadline, some representatives argued that recognising lands sacred to indigenous communities could double the amount of protected land worldwide. Granting this status to areas conserved by indigenous communities would not only improve the conservation of land with immense biodiversity, it will also strengthen communities and help to keep them intact according to a recent blog post by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). 

The blog post cites the director of Natural Justice partner MELCA, Million Belay, who also feels that this recognition will strengthen and legitimise traditional knowledge. Bas Vershuuren, co-chair of the IUCN specialist group on cultural and spiritual values of protected areas and also a Natural Justice partner, said that through the recognition of sacred sites, conservation can be decentralised as opposed to the way it is currently practiced. 

Read the full blog post here. 

Terralingua E-Magazine on Sacred Natural Sites

Terralingua has published its latest Langscape e-magazine, “Sacred Natural Sites; Sources of Biocultural Diversity.” This edition was co-edited by Luisa Maffi and Ortixia Dilts of Terralingua and Bas Verschuuren and Robert Wild of the Sacred Natural Sites Initiative. It seeks to “explore the rich interconnections between Sacred Natural Sites and Biocultural Diversity.” Natural Justice’s Steph Booker and Holly Shrumm contributed to the publication, authoring “Protecting the Sacred: The Role Community Protocols Play in the Protection of Sacred Natural Sites.” 

From the description of this edition, “through a unique lens of stories, photographs, articles, and a diversity of perspectives this volume of Langscape introduces you to the value of Sacred Natural Sites as valuable sources of biocultural diversity. They are the amongst the oldest places at which intersecting human culture and wild nature have deeply shaped humanity. Their conservation is complex but important not only for the survival of biodiversity and cultural diversity but also for human well-being and life as a whole.” 

Sacred Natural Sites Interview

Sacred Natural Sites "IN Perspective": Indigenous Community Lawyer from South Africa from Sacred Natural Sites on Vimeo.

Natural Justice's Lesle Jansen has been featured in a new Sacred Natural Sites series of interviews with custodians, indigenous peoples, scientists, conservationists, protected area managers and others on "What is a Sacred Natural Site and why is it important to you?" Her interview discusses the sacred sites of the Khoi and San communities of South Africa and can be accessed above or directly here. More interviews from the interview series can be accessed here.