Picture: Eliz Tessinari | Text: Helen Menezes
To understand the concept of sociobiodiversity (sociobiodiversidade), it is fundamental to differentiate between academic definitions arising from standard language or biological science and practical definitions built through daily use in political struggle and public policy.
Biodiversity emerged as a concept to express the diversity of life. Formally, it is understood as the diversity of species, ecosystems, and intraspecies variability, also known as genetic diversity.
The concept of ‘biodiversity’ was used to complement other definitions associated with nature, such as biomass, complex ecological systems, ecosystems, biomes, etc. Over time, the term gained broader meanings, expressing the interest and effort invested in environmental conservation.
With the development of the political struggle—acknowledgement and claim for the rights of traditional and Indigenous populations—through the advancement of public policies, the term ‘sociobiodiversity’ came to indicate that environmental conservation can be sustainably employed by local communities. Beyond self-benefit for the communities, the responsible management of conservation spaces benefits society at large.
The diversity of sociocultural systems existing in Brazil, represented by innumerable Indigenous peoples and traditional communities of extractivists, fishers, smallholder farmers, and others, expands the richness of extensive empirical knowledge associated with agroecosystems that add socio-environmental value to society.
Overall, sociobiodiversity refers to the goods and services produced at the intersection of biological diversity and sustainable practices, resulting in forest-extracted products. These resources are managed using the ancestral knowledge and culture of traditional populations.
The activities focused on the formation of productive chains in traditional communities foster the maintenance and valorization of original cultural identity, assuring rights, generating income, and improving quality of life and environmental protection of lived spaces. This coordination between biological diversity and traditional knowledge configuration is a viable solution for the development and conservation of protected areas.
Biodiversity emerged as a concept to express the diversity of life. Formally, it is understood as the diversity of species, ecosystems, and intraspecies variability, also known as genetic diversity.
The concept of ‘biodiversity’ was used to complement other definitions associated with nature, such as biomass, complex ecological systems, ecosystems, biomes, etc. Over time, the term gained broader meanings, expressing the interest and effort invested in environmental conservation.
With the development of the political struggle—acknowledgement and claim for the rights of traditional and Indigenous populations—through the advancement of public policies, the term ‘sociobiodiversity’ came to indicate that environmental conservation can be sustainably employed by local communities. Beyond self-benefit for the communities, the responsible management of conservation spaces benefits society at large.
The diversity of sociocultural systems existing in Brazil, represented by innumerable Indigenous peoples and traditional communities of extractivists, fishers, smallholder farmers, and others, expands the richness of extensive empirical knowledge associated with agroecosystems that add socio-environmental value to society.
Overall, sociobiodiversity refers to the goods and services produced at the intersection of biological diversity and sustainable practices, resulting in forest-extracted products. These resources are managed using the ancestral knowledge and culture of traditional populations.
The activities focused on the formation of productive chains in traditional communities foster the maintenance and valorization of original cultural identity, assuring rights, generating income, and improving quality of life and environmental protection of lived spaces. This coordination between biological diversity and traditional knowledge configuration is a viable solution for the development and conservation of protected areas.