Traditional Knowledge Bulletin |
- This week in review … Committee on World Food Security adopts guidelines on tenure of land, forests, fisheries
- This week in review … Biodiversity and language loss are linked, study shows
- This week in review … Indigenous peoples of Africa issue declaration on Rio+20
- Resource: Eldis guide on indigenous knowledge and climate change
- This week in review …Kenya's pastoralists correctly predict below normal rainfall
- This week in review … Chile launches traditional seed database
This week in review … Committee on World Food Security adopts guidelines on tenure of land, forests, fisheries Posted: 16 May 2012 01:59 AM PDT Countries adopt global guidelines on tenure of land, forests, fisheries ROME, ITALY: In a landmark decision, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) endorsed the new Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, which outline principles and practices that governments can refer to when making laws and administering land, fisheries and forest rights. The guidelines are based on an inclusive consultation process started by FAO in 2009 and then finalized through CFS-led intergovernmental negotiations. They address a wide range of issues, including: recognition and protection of legitimate tenure rights, even under informal systems; best practices for registration and transfer of tenure rights; managing expropriations and restitution of land to people who were forcibly evicted in the past; rights of indigenous communities; ensuring that investment in agricultural lands occurs responsibly and transparently; and mechanisms for resolving disputes over tenure rights. Much public debate has focused on the so-called "land-grabbing" phenomenon, which is one of the issues dealt with in the guidelines. While the guidelines acknowledge that responsible investments by the public and private sectors are essential for improving food security, they also recommend that safeguards be put in place to protect tenure rights of local people from risks that could arise from large-scale land acquisitions, and also to protect human rights, livelihoods, food security and the environment. Regarding next steps, FAO will develop a series of technical handbooks designed to help countries adapt the guidelines to their local contexts and put them into play. Read the release … Download the Voluntary Guidelines [pdf] … Read a BBC article on adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines … |
This week in review … Biodiversity and language loss are linked, study shows Posted: 16 May 2012 01:56 AM PDT Endangered species, languages linked at high biodiversity regions Study links biodiversity and language loss PENNSYLVANIA, USA: The decline of linguistic and cultural diversity is linked to biodiversity loss, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has suggested. Lead author Larry Gorenflo from Penn State University, USA, said previous studies had identified a geographical connection between the two, but did not offer the level of detail required. The researchers first looked regional diversity hotspots: comprising only 2.3% of the Earth's surface, intact habitat in the 35 hotspots contain more than half the world's vascular plants and 43% of terrestrial vertebrate species. In these 35 hotspots, the researchers found 3,202 languages – nearly half of all languages spoken on Earth. They also examined linguistic diversity in five high biodiversity wilderness areas, whose remaining habitat covers about 6.1 percent of the Earth's surface and contains about 17% of the vascular plant species and 6% of the terrestrial vertebrate species. These regions contained another 1,622 languages. The researchers do not know why areas of endangered species concentration and endangered languages coexist. Possibly indigenous cultures, supported by their languages, create the conditions to maintain species and keep the ecosystems working. They believe their study is a starting point to explore the relationship between biological and linguistic-cultural diversity. This will also help develop strategies for conserving species and languages in areas where rich diversity of both exists. Read the Penn State release … Read the BBC article … Read the PNAS article by L.J. Gorenflo et al, Co-occurrence of linguistic and biological diversity in biodiversity hotspots and high biodiversity wilderness areas … |
This week in review … Indigenous peoples of Africa issue declaration on Rio+20 Posted: 16 May 2012 01:53 AM PDT Indigenous Peoples of Africa issues declaration on Rio+20 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK: Representatives of indigenous peoples of Africa met on 19 April 2012, in Arusha, Tanzania, for a preparatory meeting on sustainable development, to deliberate on the objectives, themes and substantive matters for indigenous peoples on the way to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), to be held in June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The adopted declaration on sustainable development and Rio+20 is focused on green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and also on the institutional framework for sustainable development and governance. It is highlighted that a sustainable, low carbon and equitable economy is not a new concept as it has been practiced by Africa's indigenous peoples for millennia. African indigenous peoples are determined to contribute by showcasing their good practices of local diverse green economies in Rioand beyond, reflecting traditional knowledge and ways of living, in order to create awareness, and inform and influence policy processes at all levels. Read the release … Download the declaration [pdf] … |
Resource: Eldis guide on indigenous knowledge and climate change Posted: 16 May 2012 01:51 AM PDT Indigenous knowledge and climate change The potential of indigenous knowledge for informing observations of, and responses to climate change is an area of growing interest, particularly for those working at community level where access to other forms of "scientific" knowledge are inaccessible or incomplete, but increasingly in international forums such as the UNFCCC and IPCC as well. While this potential is exciting and may offer new ways to directly engage local communities in action on climate change, it also brings with it important concerns about power, rights, and ethics in engaging with these kinds of partnerships. This key issues guide provides resources for better understanding the relationship between indigenous knowledge and climate change, the potential this relationship may hold, and the challenges that may underlie it. Visit the guide … |
This week in review …Kenya's pastoralists correctly predict below normal rainfall Posted: 16 May 2012 01:48 AM PDT Kenya's pastoralists correctly predict below normal rainfall for their areas NAIROBI, KENYA: Ants moving in a given direction, wind blowing in a particular way at a certain time of the day and persistent chirping of a bird in a particular way in the evening may mean nothing for an urbanite visiting the Somali community living in northern Kenya. But failure to correctly discern such signs may mean both human and livelihood losses of unimaginable proportions to this pastoralist community whose livelihood is so dependent on raising livestock in some of the world's toughest terrains. Climate change is not helping matters and increasingly, the community has been pushed to rely on those among them with the ability to correctly predict climate scenarios well in advance to help them decide whether to move out in pursuit of pasture and or water. Failure in that aspect could mean decimation of livestock, starvation, and increased conflicts among clans over water, pasture and food. To help preserve local knowledge that is useful to guide communities deal with climate variations, Care International is conducting community level research through its Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) for Africa. Read the article … |
This week in review … Chile launches traditional seed database Posted: 16 May 2012 01:45 AM PDT Crean catálogo digital de semillas chilenas SANTIAGO, CHILE: A Chilean foundation (Fundación Sociedades Sustentables) has launched an open access database with information on 702 traditional plant varieties, in an effort aiming to assist local farmers and conserve traditional varieties. Read the article [in Spanish] … |
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