Biocultural Heritage

Promoting resilient farming systems and local economies

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Farmers sharing potatoes in the Potato Park, Peru

About this website

Biocultural Heritage (BCH) refers to the knowledge and practices of indigenous people and their biological resources, from the genetic varieties of crops they develop, to the landscapes they create. As indigenous peoples have adapted to harsh climates over many generations, this heritage is important for food security in the face of climate change.

This website shows how the concept of biocultural heritage can be used to protect the bundle of rights that support indigenous peoples and local communities. It provides tools to protect and promote biocultural heritage, such as community protocols and Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) partnerships. It shares research developed through Protecting Community Rights over Traditional Knowledge and Smallholder Innovation for Resilience. It reviews policies to protect BCH at international and national level.

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Latest news and blogs

"Sumaq Kawsay": alternative development rooted in the wellbeing of humans and nature

An approach to development practice from the Indigenous cultures of the Andes that promotes ecological harmony.

Achieving 30x30: supporting Indigenous and traditional territories and cultures

If the world is to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, we must support Indigenous Peoples and local communities to strengthen and protect their territories and cultures, and ensure their full and meaningful participation in developing conservation policy.

Indigenous Peoples call for recognition of vital role in protecting mountain water towers

From 22-24 March 2023, 10,000 people gathered in New York for the UN Water Conference, hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan, to scale up action to address the water crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

COP15 should protect mountain landscapes, and the Indigenous Peoples and local communities governing them

Mountains crucial to halting nature loss and addressing climate change. For millennia, Indigenous and traditional peoples’ cultural and spiritual values and traditional knowledge have played a crucial role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity in mountain landscapes.

More news and blogs

Projects and outputs

International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP)
The International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP) brings together mountain communities from 11 countries as they seek to revitalise biocultural heritage for climate-resilient and sustainable food systems. IIED provides communications, advocacy and capacity support for INMIP.
Establishing a biocultural heritage territory to protect Kenya’s Kaya forests
A group of people sit on the floor under a tree.
This project aims to protect biodiversity and improve livelihoods in the Mijikenda’s sacred Kaya forest landscapes in Kenya. It will establish a biocultural heritage territory that empowers Kaya elders to enforce traditional conservation rules and promote agroecological practices.

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