The Theme on Culture and Conservation (TCC) was convened in early 2005 with a core group of members drawn primarily from contributors to the publication of a dedicated volume of Policy Matters, “History, Culture and Conservation”. This membership has expanded in this quadrennial and now includes culturally and nationally diverse members from all areas of the globe.

The main objective of TCC is to improve knowledge, policy and practice through linking cultural and biological diversity, their common threats and by strengthening opportunities, and the group set out to achieve this through action in a number of areas.

Knowledge dissemination activities of TCC have included:

  • The organization of a conference entitled Sustaining Cultural and Biological Diversity in a Rapidly Changing World to held at the American Museum of Natural History in April 2008
  • The production of an edited volume entitled “Conservation, Culture and History” which contains case studies of the relations between cultural practice and biodiversity conservation
  • The production of a “Source Book on Bio-cultural Diversity” in cooperation with Terralingua, a volume that provides case studies from communities around the world on relations between biological and cultural diversity.

Action-research activities included the engagement of Maori peoples in biodiversity and conservation genetics research of native New Zealand species through collaborative research and community outreach to iwi (tribes); the integration of traditional knowledge and advanced GIS/GPS technologies/techniques towards conservation of key wetland resources in Mauritania; continuing research examining discrepancies between cultural understandings of nature in northern Pakistan and market-based conservation incentives introduced by IUCN and other INGOs; research on the institutional dynamics that structure vulnerability to disaster in Kashmir; and the role of culture, traditional knowledge and local institutions of authority in the effective management of coastal resources in Ghana.

Advocacy activities have included support for community biocultural diversity initiatives in Mexico, legal testimony on indigenous intellectual property rights in New Zealand, and the preparation of collective submissions on bio-prospecting to the New Zealand Government.