The Cultural Cradle of Biodiversity

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The Cultural Cradle of Biodiversity

Linking cultural diversity with biological diversity is now being seen as the basis for conservation linked development through a community participatory process, as also being important for human security itself. The motivating factors for community participatory efforts lie not only on the ‘tangible’ benefits that humans seek through economic development, but also on the ‘intangible’ values that enable connectivity with nature. Here in comes the role of ‘knowledge systems’ that trigger linkages between ecology, economics and ethics. The book considers a range of issues based on the concept of the ‘sacred’ in an eco-cultural context, emphasising upon the role of natural cultural landscapes as the basis for humans to have a cultural identity of their own. The philosophical basis for this already exists in the ancient Indian concept, vasudaiva kudumbakam (the world with all its living beings is one family), which has been elaborated here, in this Volume.

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