World environment day 2020 - A celebration of biodiversity and our thoughts on its interconnectedness with cultural diversity.
When we hear the word biodiversity we think of not only diversity in our ecosystems, but also our cultural diversity and the innate ecological knowledge our first nations people hold for our environment and nature.
The interconnection between the two is integral in the conservation of our ecosystems and our planet, and we believe educating ourselves on this is extremely important for our future, Your future, And the future of our planet.
‘The loss of cultural diversity (including languages) and traditional knowledge -- of farm communities and indigenous cultures -- is intricately linked to the loss of biological diversity. Indigenous peoples and farming communities are the creators, custodians and continuing innovators of biological knowledge and resources.’ (Biodiversity and cultural diversity - etcgroup.org)
While we are currently at a tipping point in a time of uprising and evolution from the mass consumerism, capitalism and racial and social injustices we have seen escalate over the past centuries, it is all too prominent the need to reconnect with our native peoples and their biodiversity related knowledge and practices.
It’s so important we not only listen and learn but also give credit, respect and acknowledgment to these humans who have had their sacred lands stolen, disrespected and disregarded for so long.
An article on www.wed.org.au states - Biodiversity is life... This year already we have seen extreme weather conditions including catastrophic fires and flooding which have had large impacts on our countries biodiversity and in turn our ecological life support.
There has also been mass virus outbreaks causing the world to halt and give our environment a chance to conserve and improve as well as racial injustices that have caused the world to uprise, rally and protest in demand for equality.
We see an obvious synergy between the two which provides a message to us that now is the time for real change, and change starts with education and conversation, followed by action.
Below we have compiled a list of some amazing resources by and gathered from some of our first nations people. We hope this helps to begin or continue your education of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and inspire you to take action and make important changes for our planet.
https://www.commonground.org.au/
-An amazing resource to help Australians see the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through providing access to engaging and authentic content that will help bridge gaps in knowledge.
Common Ground is designed to build a foundational level of knowledge for all Australians, and be a go to resource for those wanting to learn more and connect with our First Peoples.
Book: Fire Country by Victor Steffensen - Buy here
-Sharing cultural and ecological knowledge on the revival of cultural burning practices and how indigenous fire management could help save Australia.
Indigenous seasons calendars - https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Environment/Land-management/Indigenous
-CSIRO worked with a number of Indigenous language groups to create a series of calendars representing their seasonal and ecological knowledge.
Article: The Importance of Land - https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/the-importance-of-land/
