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In northwestern Mexico, the agricultural sector is related to a logic of intensive vegetable production aligned with agri-food globalization processes. However, despite the implementation for decades of public policies and private investment aimed at promoting such productive specialization, there are regions such as Magdalena-Imuris, Sonora where fruit trees cultivation for local consumption has been preserved through the transmission of intergenerational know-how. These are a historical process of cultural hybridization, socio-ecological adaptation and adoption of plant species introduced from Europe; they are underexplored as spaces of conservation and resistance and as reservoirs of biodiversity. This study aimed to characterize historically, ethnobotanically and bioculturally the quince agroecosystems in this region. Through a mixed research approach, documentary research and biocultural transects were conducted; the productive spaces were georeferenced and semi-structured interviews were conducted. A total of 95 conservation refuges for quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller) were identified: 12 corresponding to the "commercial orchards" agroecosystem that vary between 100-3,400 quince trees; and 83, to "backyard orchards" agroecosystem with 1-40 quince trees coexisting with another 90 plant species, among which a diversity of fruit trees stands out. These agroecosystems have biological, social, and cultural importance and preserve a three-centennial tradition of fruit production that, processed into artisanal preserves, have allowed the positioning of quince as a regional emblem. The above acknowledges Magdalena-Imuris, Sonora, as in situ conservation refuge, biocultural resistance and a genetic reservoir, which allow the assessment of fruit tree cultivation as a regional biocultural heritage and livelihood for the rural families that have guarded this tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1924, exactly a century ago, the world-famous children's author Alan Milne wrote this much-loved rhyme about the play activities of his young son: Where am I going? I don't quite know. Down to the stream where the king-cups grow-Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow-Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know...Where am I going? The high rooks call: "It's awful fun to be born at all". Where am I going? The ring-doves coo: "We do have beautiful things to do". But in 2024, in much of the Western world, allowing a young child to wander in this manner would be seen by many as dangerous, reckless and negligent. For example, in 2019, Renee Umstattd Meyer and her colleagues found that a large proportion of children in the post-industrial world did not take the recommended amount of exercise in the outdoor environment, and even where spaces were specifically made available to them, parents feared that they would be infiltrated by crime and violence. This article considers the emergent effects of significant cultural change in children's independent and collaborative free play opportunities. It draws on an ethological and biocultural perspective to argue why independent, active free play, particularly involving peer collaboration, is so important to human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nutritional anthropology is the study of human subsistence, diet and nutrition in comparative social and evolutionary perspective. Many factors influence the nutritional health and well-being of populations, including evolutionary, ecological, social, cultural and historical ones. Most usually, biocultural approaches are used in nutritional anthropology, incorporating methods and theory from social science as well as nutritional and evolutionary science. This review describes approaches used in the nutritional anthropology of past and present-day societies. Issues of concern for nutritional anthropology in the world now include: understanding how undernutrition and food insecurity are produced at local, regional and international levels; how food systems are constructed using social, biological and biocultural perspectives; and obesity from a biocultural viewpoint. By critiquing framings of present-day diet in an evolutionary context, nutritional anthropology asks ‘what should be eaten?’, rather than ‘what can be eaten?’, and ‘how cheaply can people be fed?’.

Nutritional anthropology is the study of human subsistence, diet and nutrition in comparative social and evolutionary perspective. Many factors influence the nutritional health and well-being of populations, including evolutionary, ecological, social, cultural and historical ones. Most usually, biocultural approaches are used in nutritional anthropology, incorporating methods and theory from social science as well as nutritional and evolutionary science. This review describes approaches used in the nutritional anthropology of past and present-day societies. Issues of concern for nutritional anthropology in the world now include: understanding how undernutrition and food insecurity are produced at local, regional and international levels; how food systems are constructed using social, biological and biocultural perspectives; and obesity from a biocultural viewpoint. By critiquing framings of present-day diet in an evolutionary context, nutritional anthropology asks 'what should be eaten?', rather than 'what can be eaten?', and 'how cheaply can people be fed?'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En Chile los enfoques para la protección y ordenación de los glaciares se han ceñido a una categorización y caracterización desde el punto de vista técnico y científico, invisibilizando otras formas de conocimiento ligadas a la salvaguardia de los territorios. Poco se conoce sobre las prácticas de adaptación, relacionamiento, significados y saberes que los pueblos originarios atribuyen a los glaciares andinos. Justamente, en los Andes del sur de Chile, a partir de una investigación acción participativa desarrollada en territorio ancestral del pueblo Mapuche, donde se ubica el glaciar Pichillancahue, se ha buscado reconocer los saberes y prácticas de este pueblo respecto a dicho glaciar, para articularlos en una estrategia de protección de su patrimonio biocultural; en esta se funden y resignifican conocimientos científicos con su propio kimün (conocimiento), revelando respuestas locales y el potencial resiliente de las comunidades mapuche relacionadas a este glaciar. Todo esto, en un territorio que enfrenta conflictos y dinámicas territoriales diversas, producto del cambio climático, el estrés hídrico y la expansión del capital a través de nuevos ejes de acumulación como el turismo masivo.

Explanatory note: The following text is described in the Ngāti Rangi mita (dialect), although concepts may be similar e.g. Mouri = Mauri, the spelling reflects the tribal vernacular. Context: National biodiversity monitoring in Aotearoa, New Zealand is primarily conducted within Eurocentric conservation frameworks. At present, Māori (Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa) have limited interaction and role within these programs. Aims: We explored a biocultural monitoring tool based on mātauranga (Māori knowledge) to inform Ngāti Rangi (a central North Island Māori tribe) about the health of spatially separate, but ecologically similar, forests within the Ngāti Rangi tribal estate. Methods: We did a series of noho taiao (community workshops) and one on one interviews to collect the values that expressed a Ngāti Rangi world view, to measure the health of the ngahere (forest). Gradients and indicators were developed to apply a measure of ngahere health. The metrics were trialled in three forests to create a group understanding. The interviews provided an observation of ngahere health and assessed intergenerational differences in how forest health is perceived. Key results: Rongoā, Manu, Ngahere , Wai , and Tangata were themes prioritised by Ngāti Rangi. Biocultural indicators revealed moderate health across the three forest sites, whilst the more ecological-based indicators indicated moderate to strong levels of health. Age-related differences in how forest condition indicated evidence of an inter-generational shift. However, it was agreed that the forest health had declined over the past 30–40 years. Conclusions: A full sensory evaluation of forest health facilitates a deep relational connection to place, which coupled with philosophies such as reciprocity and whakapapa , are vital features of a biocultural conservation approach. Implications: Cultural–ecological constructs are key in relationships between Indigenous Peoples and their environments. Biocultural approaches can contribute to reversing the current biodiversity crisis, through partnering in placed-based solutions. Indigenous peoples' biocultural visions are poorly represented in mainstream conservation. Māori, of Aotearoa, New Zealand, desire equity in managing their natural resources, and have developed biocultural monitoring approaches. Decolonising conservation systems reinvigorates and supports Indigenous peoples self-determination, and is a step in reversing global biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Periplo Sustentable is the property of Yanelli Daniela Palmas Castrejon and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Pandemics have profoundly impacted human societies, but until relatively recently were a minor research focus within biological anthropology, especially within biocultural analyses. Here, we explore research in these fields, including molecular anthropology, that employs biocultural approaches, sometimes integrated with intersectionality and ecosocial and syndemic theory, to unpack relationships between social inequality and pandemics. A case study assesses the 1918 influenza pandemic's impacts on the patient population of the Mississippi State Asylum (MSA). Materials and Methods: We survey bioarchaeological and paleopathological literature on pandemics and analyze respiratory disease mortality relative to sex, age, and social race amongst patient deaths (N = 2258) between 1912 and 1925. Logistic regression models were used to assess relationships between cause of death and odds of death during the pandemic (1918–1919). Results: Findings include substantial respiratory mortality during the pandemic, including from influenza and influenza syndemic with pneumonia. Older patients (40–59 years, 60+ years) had lower odds (p < 0.01) of dying from respiratory disease than younger patients, as did female patients compared to males (p < 0.05). Age patterns are broadly consistent with national and state trends, while elevated mortality amongst Black and/or African American patients may reflect intersections between gender roles and race‐based structural violence in the Jim Crow South. Discussion: Future work in biological anthropology on past pandemics may benefit from explicit incorporation of biocultural frameworks, intersectionality, and ecosocial and syndemic theory. Doing so enables holistic analyses of interactions between social context, social inequality and pandemic outcomes, generating data informative for public health responses and pandemic preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations into zoonotic disease outbreaks have been largely epidemiological and microbiological, with the primary focus being one of disease control and management. Increasingly though, the human–animal interface has proven to be an important driver for the acquisition and transmission of pathogens in humans, and this requires syncretic bio‐socio‐cultural enquiries into the origins of disease emergence, for more efficacious interventions. A biocultural lens is imperative for the examination of primate‐related zoonoses, for the human‐primate interface is broad and multitudinous, involving both physical and indirect interactions that occur due to shared spaces and ecologies. I use the case example of a viral zoonotic epidemic that is currently endemic to India, the Kysanaur Forest Disease, to show how biocultural anthropology provides a broad and integrative perspective into infectious disease ecology and presents new insights into the determinants of disease outbreaks. Drawing on insights from epidemiology, political ecology, primate behavioral ecology and ethnoprimatology, this paper demonstrates how human‐primate interactions and shared ecologies impact infectious disease spread between human and nonhuman primate groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El chile tabiche, una cultivariedad (variedad definida por un contexto cultural) de la especie Capsicum annuum var. annuum L., se consumía en la comunidad de Santo Domingo Tomaltepec en los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca hasta hace aproximadamente 70 años, pero en las últimas décadas entró en desuso. A través de la historia de pérdida y reencuentro del tabiche en esta comunidad, reflexionamos sobre el rol de la memoria en reestablecer redes de uso, conocimiento y valor. Este trabajo se sitúa en el contexto de Cocina Colaboratorio, un proyecto que busca fortalecer la soberanía alimentaria de tres comunidades en México, entre estas, Santo Domingo Tomaltepec. De manera transdisciplinar, el colectivo usa la mesa de cocina como una metáfora de intercambio horizontal, colaboración y acción comunitaria. Esta investigación se desarrolló desde el verano del 2021 hasta el verano del 2022, y se materializó a través de conversaciones semiestructuradas y actividades diseñadas desde el arte y la investigación acción participativa. Según cuentan las mujeres mayores de la comunidad, el tabiche se cultivaba en los campos cercanos y era un ingrediente esencial en la vida diaria y en las celebraciones. Al investigar, encontramos que este chile se sigue produciendo y consumiendo en la Sierra Sur de Oaxaca. Así, planificamos una serie de eventos con la comunidad para su reencuentro y para poder compartirlo con las mujeres que ya lo conocían y con las generaciones más jóvenes que no lo habían probado. Se busca evidenciar los matices de la pérdida y de valor; no como algo definitivo, sino como una red que puede volver a tejerse de diferentes formas. Esto aporta a las discusiones críticas del auge patrimonizante, presentando un ejemplo en el que la memoria puede ser una herramienta de acción; donde los sabores, prácticas y narrativas pueden reformularse y reapropiarse para reivindicar identidades.

Abstract Ecological restoration is a crucial tool for mitigating climate change and addressing the global biodiversity crisis. The extensive knowledge of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) will play a key role in accelerating the advancement of restoration efforts but has historically been excluded. BIPOC traditions and practices of protecting and restoring ecological communities include intricate socio‐ecological systems whose holistic practices preserve cultural knowledge while simultaneously addressing environmental issues. If we are to have a seat at the table for everyone and meet the lofty goals of the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to contribute to reversing the biodiversity and climate crises, the field of restoration ecology can no longer afford to exclude BIPOC communities and their irreplaceable social, cultural, and ecological knowledge. Solution: We offer opportunities to engage BIPOC communities and their contributions to restoration, and to introduce a restoration community to connect and center BIPOC through the Black Earth Restoration Collective. This is a call to action to those with power and access in restoration ecology to make vital shifts needed to accomplish a more equitable and just approach to restoration.

The study of the relationship between biotic elements and communities within the literature of urban identity in the context of urban planning and design is presently constrained. This research aimed to elucidate the role of biotic elements in community identity through an investigation into the case of bats in the city center. Various data collection methods were employed, encompassing documentation (including the scrutiny of texts and images), observation, and interviews. The research concentrated on the city of Watansoppeng, Indonesia, conducting semi-informal interviews with purposively selected residents, such as cultural leaders, academics, and officials from pertinent institutions. The research variables comprised history, collective memory, and culture, and the analysis adopted a biocultural approach. Digital qualitative analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti 23 software. The findings underscored the significant role played by bats in shaping community identity in Watansoppeng. These nocturnal creatures contribute substantially to the development of the community's historical narrative across generations, including the emergence of myths associating them with signaling impending disasters in the city. Moreover, bats function as custodians of the collective memory of the community, serving as reminders of the glory of the Soppeng Kingdom and the greatness of their First King. The interaction between bats and the community is also reflected in various cultural expressions, spanning language and linguistics, literature, cultural materials, science and technology, economic relations, social interactions, and belief systems.

Place-based education that incorporates traditional ecological knowledge is a potential source of psychological and emotional well-being for indigenous youth. Our research explores the connection between place-based cultural education and well-being among Native Hawaiian youth as they engage in restoring a royal Native Hawaiian fishpond, Loko Ia Pāaiau. We collected data from ten Native Hawaiian high school participants over six months including survey measures, pre- and poston emotions and values after each weekly session at the fishpond, as well as preand post- focus group sessions. The quantitative data revealed gains in positive emotions and mental states, with happiness and focus being the most salient. Phenomenological coding of the qualitative results revealed five overarching themes in the values-emotion interface: 1) valuing the importance of Pāaiau; 2) valuing kuleana (reciprocal responsibility) and feeling a sense of accomplishment; 3) valuing sacred land and cultivating humility; 4) valuing and strengthening 'ohana (family) and feeling sense of belonging; and 5) valuing Pāaiau as a healing place and feeling peaceful and happy. Findings support providing Indigenous youth, especially Native Hawaiians, with place-based traditional ecological knowledge and biocultural opportunities to promote well-being, character, and identity development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1924, exactly a century ago, the world-famous children’s author Alan Milne wrote this much-loved rhyme about the play activities of his young son: Where am I going? I don’t quite know. Down to the stream where the king-cups grow-Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow-Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know…Where am I going? The high rooks call: “It’s awful fun to be born at all”. Where am I going? The ring-doves coo: “We do have beautiful things to do”. But in 2024, in much of the Western world, allowing a young child to wander in this manner would be seen by many as dangerous, reckless and negligent. For example, in 2019, Renee Umstattd Meyer and her colleagues found that a large proportion of children in the post-industrial world did not take the recommended amount of exercise in the outdoor environment, and even where spaces were specifically made available to them, parents feared that they would be infiltrated by crime and violence. This article considers the emergent effects of significant cultural change in children’s independent and collaborative free play opportunities. It draws on an ethological and biocultural perspective to argue why independent, active free play, particularly involving peer collaboration, is so important to human development.

This article, published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology, explores the role of biological anthropology in understanding the origins, nature, and consequences of human diseases. The authors highlight the importance of using both comparative/evolutionary and biocultural approaches to study how social and ecological factors influence disease exposure and impact. The collection of papers covers a range of topics, including the impact of infectious and non-communicable diseases in the past, the health of indigenous populations before and after European contact, mortality patterns during the 1918 influenza pandemic, disease transmission in non-human primates, and the biocultural determinants of health outcomes in contemporary populations. The research presented in this article provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between human biology, disease ecology, and social factors. [Extracted from the article]

Indigenous peoples have cultivated biodiverse agroecosystems since time immemorial. The rise of metagenomics and high‐throughput sequencing technologies in biodiversity studies has rapidly expanded the scale of data collection from these lands. A respectful approach to the data life cycle grounded in the sovereignty of indigenous communities is imperative to not perpetuate harm. In this paper, we operationalize an indigenous data sovereignty (IDS) framework to outline realistic considerations for genomic data that span data collection, governance, and communication. As a case study for this framework, we use arthropod genomic data collected from diversified and simplified farm sites close to and far from natural habitats within a historic Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Indigenous Hawaiian) agroecosystem. Diversified sites had the highest Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) richness for native and introduced arthropods. There may be a significant spillover effect between forest and farm sites, as farm sites near a natural habitat had higher OTU richness than those farther away. We also provide evidence that management factors such as the number of Polynesian crops cultivated may drive arthropod community composition. Through this case study, we emphasize the context‐dependent opportunities and challenges for operationalizing IDS by utilizing participatory research methods, expanding novel data management tools through the Local Contexts Hub, and developing and nurturing community partnerships—all while highlighting the potential of agroecosystems for arthropod conservation. Overall, the workflow and the example presented here can help researchers take tangible steps to achieve IDS, which often seems elusive with the expanding use of genomic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangroves provide diverse benefits for various coastal communities in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the same region exhibits the highest global rates of mangrove loss. Whilst studies exploring its value as a biocultural refugia remain lacking, the associated biocultural uses of mangroves are likewise under threat. Using the PRISMA approach, 33 studies passed the eligibility and screening process. The majority of biocultural studies were from Indonesia (60%), Malaysia (9%), Philippines (9%), and Thailand (9%) whilst the least were from Myanmar (6%), Vietnam (3%), and Timor-Leste (3%). We identified seven biocultural lenses for Southeast Asian mangroves; food source, cultural and spiritual use, livelihood source, construction materials, fuelwood and charcoal, medicinal use, and fish poison and fishing material. As a biocultural refugia, management of mangroves are intimately intertwined with traditional practices which stemmed from cultural and spiritual importance of mangroves. However, many Asian cultures remain undocumented and understudied. We, therefore, recommend a more culture-sensitive approach in various community-based mangrove conservation projects that respectfully integrate the indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILKS) and practices. Studies relating to the biocultural values, both tangible and intangible benefits of mangroves, should be further explored to promote the sustainable utilization and conservation of the remaining mangroves in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What does contemporary Indigenous stewardship look like in urban spaces? We answer this question by exploring Urban ʻĀina, a practice-based Native Hawaiian paradigm that shapes how we engage urban landscapes as Indigenous spaces, revitalizes the expression of Indigenous knowledge, and relies on Indigenous sensibilities to address and respond to modern issues such as food security, ecological degradation, and the climate change crisis. We find that places shaped by Urban ʻĀina practices serve as cultural kīpuka—biocultural refugia where kincentric, reciprocal relationships are honored through the engagement of ancestral knowledge. In Hawaiʻi, efforts to maintain these kincentric relationships continue to be challenged by political, socioeconomic, environmental, psychological, and spiritual disruptions that have their origin in the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Our research methodology and the paper's resulting structure rely on ceremony and the Pewa Framework, which were selected to transport you through our restoration process. This exploration and the sharing of innovative case studies from urban Oʻahu bring breath and the healing power of Indigenous knowledge and ancestral practices to urban spaces, with the aim of transforming contemporary conceptions of urban stewardship. Through our process, we demonstrate how revitalized ancestral practices foster ecological sustainability, restorative justice, biocultural continuity, food sovereignty, regenerative forestry, and community wellbeing in urban spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food connects people and place, and weaves together issues of resource use, culture, and sovereignty. In the Pacific, a 'nutrition transition' towards store-bought and processed food is implicated in poor health outcomes and lowered resilience. We use a mixed methods approach to explore changes in the 'foodscape' – the interconnections between people and food in a place – at four rural sites in Solomon Islands. Our results indicate low dietary diversity driven by a range of environmental and social factors including commercial logging. Art-based methods show that a range of components of the foodscape, including Indigenous knowledge and practice and access to land, have supported resilience to external shocks. We argue that efforts to improve nutrition outcomes should build on place-based strengths and be designed to enhance local understandings of food sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional homegarden or Jajañ, of the Bilingual Rural Educational Institution Kamëntsá Biyá (IERBAK), in La Vereda Las Cochas, municipality of Sibundoy, Alto Putumayo, Colombia, was visited. For this research, members of the educational community contributed through their participation and action, including students from the research group "Kabëngbe Jwabn Jenëng" ("Sowers of Our Thought"), parents, fathers and mothers, teachers, and key informants. A knowledge dialog was established on the names and traditional uses of wild and cultivated plant species. The information was complemented by open and in-depth interviews, participant observation, collection, herborization, and bibliographic consultation. A total of 120 species belonging to 46 families were reported, highlighting: Poaceae, Rosaceae and Asteraceae for their use in indigenous food and as forages; Asteraceae, Solanaceae, Amaranthaceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae are used in traditional and magical-religious medicine. In the biocultural memory of the indigenous people, the plant diversity of the Jajañ is recognized as the cradle of thought, worldview and survival of the Kamëntsa-Biya culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drystone terraces offer a series of ecosystem services including both biological and cultural benefits. The aesthetic contribution towards the landscape and the increase in biodiversity levels, constitute drystone terraces and other similar constructions, as important biocultural assets. The low maintenance and the eventual abandonment of drystone terraces cause a series of drawbacks regarding the sustainability of agricultural environments. The main goal of this research was to assess the effect of drystone terrace maintenance level on biodiversity. For that reason, two closely distant agricultural areas of Lesbos Island (North Aegean, Greece) in which olive grove drystone terraces dominate were compared. The non-intrusive method of ecoacoustics was selected, and the levels of the acoustic complexity and acoustic diversity were statistically analyzed for areas that included highly maintained and poorly maintained olive grove drystone terraces. The results indicated an increase in acoustic biodiversity levels in the poorly maintained drystone terraces area. At this early stage, the results highlighted the fact that the increased resources in the poorly maintained drystone terraces, in terms of nesting and feeding opportunities, increased the biodiversity levels. Nevertheless, the spatiotemporal expansion of this research is undeniably important.

Most neglected and underutilized crops were developed and utilized within indigenous agroecological cropping systems. While crop suitability must consider the constraints of the environment, the conditions of agroecological systems and the role of crops within those systems should be considered. Such consideration may guide the implementation of appropriate farming systems specific to different ecosystems and microhabitats. Using the Hawaiian archipelago as a model system of socioecological dynamics, we consider the distribution of agroecological systems and their associated crops to explore how agroecological suitability changes across climate, topography, and soils. We conduct spatial modeling of the potential nature and extent of seven agroecological archetypes based on historical records. The seven spatial models of pre-colonial agroecological systems produced extents distributed across much of the Hawaiian archipelago, with clear adaptive patterns within and across the islands. The distribution of cropping system further affects the appropriateness of crop species application. We argue that the consideration of agroecological niches and associated cropping systems is critical for realizing the potential of underutilized crops and improving the efficiency of contemporary agricultural systems.

The ways people think, feel, speak about, and act in and with environments are inextricably intertwined with the well-being of other living things, including birds. We report on the kinds of messages contained in 598 examples of locally-defined signs from 498 bird taxa from 169 sources and 123 ethnolinguistic groups. Using Peirce’s three sign forms: symbolic, iconic, and indexical, we analyze one aspect of human–bird interactions: that of reading bird sign for ecological and social interpretations. Understanding ecological semiotic nuance is important for translating between local, regional, and global science, and for respecting autonomous processes of local people attributing value or lack thereof to birds and their habitats. Over one-third of the signs in our sample (216; 36%) were specifically described as omens of some kind, commonly of death, illness, or something “bad”. Three modes of message delivery account for the majority of the data: predicting (60%), bringing (15%; including news, rain, luck), and indicating (15%; including seasonal change, fruit ripening, animals). Reading birds to predict weather (especially rain) was common, as was listening to and interpreting birds’ alarm calls warning of snakes or predators, and knowing that a certain bird indicates the presence of certain other animals, or of a water source. We collected 51 examples of warblish, the imitation or translation of bird sounds into non-onomatopoeic words. We argue for the amplification of ecocultural conservation (attending to histories of human–nonhuman relationships in place) to channel resources and land control to local and Indigenous managers who are immersed in relevant bird–people information networks. We discuss the importance of (1) reduction of uncertainty in local and hyper-local environments, (2) biocultural provocations in which birds fulfill important roles in human society, and (3) informational connectivity and locally-defined interspecies ethical relationships as key elements for inclusive and effective ecocultural bird conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting whether a species is likely to go extinct (or not) is one of the fundamental objectives of conservation biology, and extinction risk classifications have become an essential tool for conservation policy, planning and research. This sort of prediction is feasible because the extinction processes follow a familiar pattern of population decline, range collapse and fragmentation, and, finally, extirpation of sub-populations through a combination of genetic, demographic and environmental stochasticity. Though less well understood and rarely quantified, the way in which science and society respond to population decline, extirpation and species extinction can also have a profound influence, either negative or positive, on whether a species goes extinct. For example, species that are highly sought after by collectors and hobbyists can become more desirable and valuable as they become rarer, leading to increased demand and greater incentives for illegal trade - known as the anthropogenic Allee effect. Conversely, species that are strongly linked to cultural identity are more likely to benefit from sustainable management, high public support for conservation actions and fund-raising, and, by extension, may be partially safeguarded from extinction. More generally, human responses to impending extinctions are extremely complex, are highly dependent on cultural and socioeconomic context, and have typically been far less studied than the ecological and genetic aspects of extinction. Here, we identify and discuss biocultural aspects of extinction and outline how recent advances in our ability to measure and monitor cultural trends with big data are, despite their intrinsic limitations and biases, providing new opportunities for incorporating biocultural factors into extinction risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El siguiente ensayo recoge una propuesta para la integración de 3 constructos teóricos que contribuyan a repensar la educación latinoamericana: los territorios, las potencialidades bioculturales y el desarrollo local. Los desafíos de las crisis sociales, ambientales, económicas y políticas presionan para educar para la transformación sostenible de los países en desarrollo, aprovechando las riquezas de la biodiversidad biológica y los profundos conocimientos locales de las comunidades para apostar a una sinergia entre las demandas globales y las ofertas territoriales locales. Una educación para el desarrollo local es un desafío para educadores y líderes políticos para mitigar la vulnerabilidad a los efectos del cambio climático, las migraciones y la pobreza. Palabras claves: desarrollo local, educación, territorios, biocultural.

Predicting whether a species is likely to go extinct (or not) is one of the fundamental objectives of conservation biology, and extinction risk classifications have become an essential tool for conservation policy, planning and research. This sort of prediction is feasible because the extinction processes follow a familiar pattern of population decline, range collapse and fragmentation, and, finally, extirpation of sub-populations through a combination of genetic, demographic and environmental stochasticity. Though less well understood and rarely quantified, the way in which science and society respond to population decline, extirpation and species extinction can also have a profound influence, either negative or positive, on whether a species goes extinct. For example, species that are highly sought after by collectors and hobbyists can become more desirable and valuable as they become rarer, leading to increased demand and greater incentives for illegal trade – known as the anthropogenic Allee effect. Conversely, species that are strongly linked to cultural identity are more likely to benefit from sustainable management, high public support for conservation actions and fund-raising, and, by extension, may be partially safeguarded from extinction. More generally, human responses to impending extinctions are extremely complex, are highly dependent on cultural and socioeconomic context, and have typically been far less studied than the ecological and genetic aspects of extinction. Here, we identify and discuss biocultural aspects of extinction and outline how recent advances in our ability to measure and monitor cultural trends with big data are, despite their intrinsic limitations and biases, providing new opportunities for incorporating biocultural factors into extinction risk assessment.

The term 'biocultural' brings together the words 'biological' and 'cultural' to emphasize the interconnected nature of life and human culture. Over the last 50 years, biological and cultural diversity have shown concomitant declines in abundance, leading researchers, policy makers, activists and Indigenous Peoples to increasingly turn towards biocultural theory for potential pathways forward. Amidst increasing conversations and uses of the term 'biocultural', we sought to interrogate the current state of knowledge within biocultural theory and to identify the various ways the term 'biocultural' is being applied in the academic literature on conservation. To explore this research question, we conducted a systematic review of the literature that has meaningfully engaged with biocultural theory between 2002 and 2019 to explore the most concrete and promising pathways forward for effective and ethical on-the-ground implementation. After tracing key definitions and the evolution of the term over time, we find that the word 'biocultural' is most commonly being applied in the realms of biocultural diversity, biocultural heritage, and biocultural approaches. After offering an overview of each of these areas, we conclude with three central findings. Firstly, we find that biocultural theory remains deeply rooted in seminal discussions around biocultural diversity. It is from this foundation that new areas of research and application have emerged in the last decade, including biocultural heritage, biocultural approaches to conservation, biocultural landscape and biocultural rights, amongst others. Secondly, biocultural theory retains strong roots in Indigenous rights and advocacy, which were originally articulated in the Declaration of Belem (1988) and continue to be evidenced by the large percentage of papers in our sample which focused on Indigenous perspectives related to biocultural diversity. Finally, we find that biocultural theory remains largely conceptual in nature, with indications that only in recent years have more applied, on-the-ground case studies started to emerge in the literature. • Systematic review documenting the evolution of the biocultural concept. • Points out gaps in the field and recommendations for further applied research. • Highlights pathways towards concrete biocultural policy development and application. • Reinforces ties of biocultural approaches to Indigenous peoples and advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocultural approaches in anthropology originated from a desire to dissolve the nature/culture divide that is entrenched in the discipline. Whereas biocultural approaches were born under the umbrella of medical anthropology, by the late 1990s, biology‐centered approaches to bioculturalism had been mostly taken up by human biologists in biological anthropology. It was at this point that biology‐inclined approaches began to gel into an informal interdiscipline, biocultural anthropology. Much like any other discipline, biocultural anthropology developed research and professional norms with erected boundaries around acceptable work and workers. We draw from scholarly work in interdisciplinary studies to explore those norms and boundaries from the perspective of our collaborative, multimethod, and interdisciplinary project that combines "biology" and "culture" in unconventional ways. We provide examples of the obstacles, barriers, and risks we experienced and the costs exacted on the research project and the researchers due to the nature of our boundary crossings. By exploring biocultural anthropology from the edges of acceptability, we expose the unacknowledged boundary work in contemporary biocultural anthropology, and by extension, in its parent discipline, anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drystone terraces offer a series of ecosystem services including both biological and cultural benefits. The aesthetic contribution towards the landscape and the increase in biodiversity levels, constitute drystone terraces and other similar constructions, as important biocultural assets. The low maintenance and the eventual abandonment of drystone terraces cause a series of drawbacks regarding the sustainability of agricultural environments. The main goal of this research was to assess the effect of drystone terrace maintenance level on biodiversity. For that reason, two closely distant agricultural areas of Lesbos Island (North Aegean, Greece) in which olive grove drystone terraces dominate were compared. The non-intrusive method of ecoacoustics was selected, and the levels of the acoustic complexity and acoustic diversity were statistically analyzed for areas that included highly maintained and poorly maintained olive grove drystone terraces. The results indicated an increase in acoustic biodiversity levels in the poorly maintained drystone terraces area. At this early stage, the results highlighted the fact that the increased resources in the poorly maintained drystone terraces, in terms of nesting and feeding opportunities, increased the biodiversity levels. Nevertheless, the spatiotemporal expansion of this research is undeniably important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of biocultural heritage has generated alternative proposals for the conservation of rural areas. Varied organizations collaborate in a pioneering conservation model, the Biocultural Landscape (BL), where local participation is paramount, that operates in the Western Sierra of Jalisco. The objective of this work was to analyze social participation, conditions, and characteristics of the model based on the WWF and IUCN guidelines. Information about the context, management, and planning was collected and synthesized. The data of territorial management, conservation, knowledge, and local conflicts about participatory processes were collected from 12 stakeholders and analyzed with ATLAS.ti software. It was found that, although local people are familiar with the concept of the protected natural area and the BL model, they cannot clearly identify its objective. The most informed are the interested population that collaborates closely. There are conflicts of interest between those who collaborate directly with the BL and those who do not, which have been resolved through the active participation of the different levels of government and experts who have intervened as mediators. Environmental awareness about the importance of conservation has been achieved by integrating the communities. Given that it is not a restrictive protection model and the rules were created in conjunction with the community, local participation is encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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El presente trabajo se encuentra dentro de los estudios bioculturales. Se enfoca en su aplicación para comprender al ser humano como persona. Utiliza a la persona como sinónimo de lo humano y sirve como ejemplo de un modelo biocultural. Se utiliza un concepto de persona que pueda permitir entender al ser humano en todos sus aspectos y sea intercultural. El modelo biocultural que se propone consta de tres procesos de semiosis; una primera basada en herencia, la segunda definida por el desarrollo y la tercera determinada por los momentos claves de la vida. Las semiosis sugieren la generación de la unidad significativa que es el ser humano como sistema vivo complejo. Con ello se propone entender al ser humano en tanto persona y se utilizan dos ejemplos para ello; San Agustín con su texto Confesiones y Nietzsche y su libro Ecce Homo.

From the re-significance of a local museum, the articulation between nature, human beings and technology proposed by the Human Scale Development and the integrated and participatory management of community-based tourism, it is proposed to reflect on an emerging biocultural revitalization experience, inserted within the Los Ríos Community- Based Tourism Program. Thus, from a qualitative research approach complemented with Participant Action Research tools, different elements of Mapuche biocultural interest are identified between the territories of Challupen to Liquiñe in the commune of Panguipulli (Los Ríos Region) in southern Chile - which are articulated in a network, on a life scale, that makes visible the complexity of territorial contexts, integrated indistinctly, both by biotic and abiotic diversity, as well as by the diversity of cultural and organizational wealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Conservation translocations—particularly those that weave diverse ways of knowing and seeing the world—promise to enhance species recovery and build ecosystem resilience. Yet, few studies to date have been led or co‐led by Indigenous peoples; or consider how centring Indigenous knowledge systems can lead to betterconservation translocation outcomes. In this Perspective, as Indigenous and non‐Indigenous researchers and practitioners working in partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand, we present a novel framework for co‐designing conservation translocations that centre Indigenous peoples and knowledge systems through Two‐Eyed Seeing. We apply this framework to Aotearoa New Zealand's threatened and underprioritized freshwater biodiversity. In particular, we highlight the co‐development of conservation translocations with Te Kōhaka o Tūhaitara and Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau that are weaving emerging genomic approaches into mātauraka Māori (Māori knowledge systems), including customary practices, processes and language. We envision the Two‐Eyed Seeing framework presented here will provide a critical point of reference for the co‐development of conservation translocations led or co‐led by Indigenous peoples elsewhere in the world to build more resilient biocultural heritage. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Biocultural conservation approaches recognise the relationships between nature and humans, and are built on local cultural perspectives. Hawai'i has been described as a model for biocultural conservation, and a biocultural approach can be applied in endangered ecosystems such as tropical dry forests that are often found in human settlement areas. The extent of native tropical dry forest cover remaining in Hawai'i is as low as 1% on some islands, with 45% of the tropical dry forest plant species at risk of extinction. Despite the long-running relationship of tropical dry forests with 'Indigenous people and local communities', there has been little assessment of the potential social–ecological outcomes of a biocultural approach to tropical dry forest restoration. Two Hawai'i forest restoration projects, located within Ka'ūpūlehu and Auwahi, have been excluding ungulates and removing alien plant species for >20 years, and have applied biocultural approaches. Drawing on these two sites as case-studies, we explore the motivations for, and components of, a biocultural approach, and highlight four categories (ecological, social, cultural, and spiritual) of biocultural measures of success. We show that a biocultural approach to restoration can provide purpose and meaning to a person's relationship to place, and can transform conservation biology through Indigenous perspectives. We also address challenges and provide recommendations to those interested in engaging in a biocultural approach. This paper examines the relationship of tropical dry forests with 'Indigenous people and local communities' in the Hawaiian Islands. Drawing on two case-studies, Ka'ūpūlehu and Auwahi, this study explores the motivations for, outcomes, and components of, a biocultural approach to restoring tropical dry forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]