Biocultural Design: A New Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Development in Rural Indigenous and Local Communities

Abstract

New approaches for sustainable development in rural indigenous and local communities have emerged that are rooted in their distinct cultural identities and claims for greater control over land, development and identity. One such approach is that of biocultural heritage, which emerged out of work to document biocultural diversity undertaken in part by members of the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). CEESP members have developed this work over the past twenty-five years, both through work with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other policy forums, but also through the operationalization of rural development policies and programs. One area that has not been fully examined, however, is the contribution of biocultural heritage to local processes of innovation that can explicitly meet communities’ contemporary needs and objectives. This paper presents a new approach called ‘biocultural design’ and seeks to open a conversation about how endogenous innovation could support sustainable development in rural indigenous and local communities. By introducing design thinking to the field of biocultural heritage conservation, biocultural design offers a process for indigenous and local communities to pursue aspirations of self-determination and endogenous development through product/service innovation. It is an approach that may enhance communities’ adaptive capacity in responding to dynamic and changing environments and IUCN’s goal to deploy nature-based solutions to global challenges in the next quadrennial period.