On the afternoon of October 23, the side event "Biocultural Diversity and Territories: Protecting Mountain Food Systems and IP & LC Solutions to the Biodiversity and Climate Crisis" was successfully held at the China Pavilion of COP16 in Cali, Colombia. This event was co-organized by UNEP-IEMP, the Farmers' Seed Network team, and eight other institutions.
Representatives from the Farmers' Seed Network (China), the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTBG-CAS), the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Global Environmental Institute (GEI), Shan Shui Conservation Center (SSCC), China Green Carbon Foundation, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and Peru's ANDES shared case studies from China, Peru, Canada, and Colombia from the perspectives of community, research, and policy, attracting around 60 participants.
Opening Dialogue:
Recognizing the Power of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Academician Wang Jinnan from the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning delivered the opening speech, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous peoples and local communities in ensuring food security, biodiversity conservation, and climate change resilience. He noted that these communities, drawing on rich traditional knowledge and harmonious practices with nature, provide valuable biocultural resources. However, their efforts are often overlooked by policies and society. He urged this event to foster dialogue and collective support for these communities, enabling them to play a greater role in combating climate change and promoting sustainable development.
Depicting a Holistic Biocultural Landscape
In a keynote speech, researcher Song Yiching from UNEP-IEMP highlighted the importance of on-site and dynamic conservation and utilization of agricultural biodiversity for food security, biodiversity protection, and climate change resilience, drawing from the saying, "Each community is shaped by its land and reflects its unique culture." Song stressed that these efforts require integration into agricultural and environmental policies to address the growing social, economic, and ecological challenges, as well as respect for biocultural diversity to promote ecological civilization through mutual coexistence.
Strengthening Seed Systems in Local Communities:
Protecting and Passing on Biocultural Diversity
In the first session, Krystyna Swiderska from the International Institute for Environment and Development introduced the concept and framework of biocultural systems, developed from the experiences of local communities in Peru, Kenya, China, and India. She highlighted that Indigenous and local communities in mountainous regions are vital custodians of seed systems, biodiversity, and traditional culture. Their contributions to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and climate action deserve more financial and policy support.
Alejandro Argumedo from Peru's ANDES shared how Indigenous people at Potato Park use a holistic biocultural perspective rooted in traditional culture to conserve the diversity of the local ecosystem, species, and genetic resources, especially potatoes, a crop native to the area that holds irreplaceable significance in local life and beliefs. He emphasized that traditional farming practices and conservation efforts effectively enhance biodiversity and provide concrete solutions for climate resilience.
Yongping Yang, a researcher from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, contributed to the event via video, discussing examples from ethnic regions in Yunnan, such as buckwheat and taro, to address key questions on why farmers conserve diverse crop varieties, how they do it, and the methods they use. Yang emphasized the link between cultural preservation and crop diversity conservation, using the Xishuangbanna rice gene bank as a call to action for collaboration between researchers and farmers to promote crop diversity.
Qian Wang from the Global Environmental Institute highlighted the potential for implementing OECMs (Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures) in China. Wang discussed the origins and applications of OECMs globally, with references to examples from Japan. She emphasized the broad prospects for OECM implementation in China, underscoring the need for national strategies to support local conservation initiatives.
Finally, Yuanqing Hou, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Green Carbon Foundation, shared insights from the Medog community’s biocultural conservation practices in primary forests, presenting the rich biodiversity of Medog's forests, as well as the challenges posed by climate change and economic development. Through community case studies, Hou introduced diverse local experiences, such as returning orchids to the wild, tree species propagation, and environmental education, as a means to support alternative livelihoods and explore sustainable rural development that balances growth with conservation.
Encouraging Community Participation
Strengthen the Link Between Agriculture and Nature through Sustainable Food Systems
Continuing the discussion from the first half of the session, the latter part of the agenda focused on "Connecting Agriculture and Nature." Guanqi Li from the Farmers' Seed Network introduced efforts to protect agricultural and natural biodiversity within the Naxi community in Lijiang, Yunnan. He highlighted that, in the community’s daily life, the food system serves as a vital link between agricultural and natural biodiversity.
Shan Sun from the Shan Shui Conservation Center shared insights from the perspective of Indigenous communities, using Jerusalem artichokes (native to the Americas) as an example to illustrate the role of food systems in ecological conservation. She discussed how the Inuit's food system, rich not only in food diversity but also in cultural perspective, connects people to the land, water, and other living beings. She emphasized that an Indigenous ecology based on traditional food systems can inspire innovative approaches to nature conservation.
Marleni Ramirez from the Alliance of Bioversity International-CIAT shared a case from the mountainous Cumbal region in Colombia, where a community dependent on dairy production diversified into food development and ecotourism focused on local crops like potatoes. She noted that the success of this initiative lies in understanding how food systems bridge the gap between ecological conservation and livelihood development.
In a video address, Professor Yinlong Xu from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences underscored the importance of enhancing agriculture and community resilience to climate change. He pointed to the ecological wisdom embedded in China’s traditional agricultural practices, calling for sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems through community participation and adaptability.
Closing Remarks and Future Collaboration
In the closing session, Zhang Linxiu, Director of UNEP-IEMP, thanked the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning for its strong support, along with the ten co-organizing institutions for their contributions. She highlighted that the cases and research findings presented demonstrate the critical role of biocultural diversity and community-based seed and food systems in addressing food security, biodiversity loss, and the climate crisis. These insights support a shift in agriculture and food systems toward greater biodiversity and climate resilience. Zhang emphasized the essential contributions of Indigenous peoples and local communities, especially smallholder farmers, to protecting agricultural and natural biodiversity.
As an organization focused on “serving the South from the South,” UNEP-IEMP is committed to facilitating South-South, North-South, and trilateral collaboration on climate change adaptation, ecosystem protection, and livelihood development. Zhang encouraged participants to continue supporting the development and preservation of biocultural diversity in their work and highlighted UNEP-IEMP’s capacity-building resources, including expertise from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other institutions.
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion on biocultural diversity. Researcher Yiching Song emphasized the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between natural and social sciences to enhance community participation in biodiversity conservation. Professor Lu Zhi from Peking University raised critical questions about mainstreaming conservation efforts and integrating traditional culture with modern knowledge. Other participants discussed strategies for collaborative action to advance conservation efforts.
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