IK Monitor Publications (9-1)

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, March 2001

Contents IK Monitor (9-1) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | © copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 2001.

Preview:
IMPORTANT NEW BOOKS

The appearance of important new publications is reported here, and the books are briefly described. We have requested review copies, which will be sent to experts for their opinions regarding the books' practical usefulness. The reviewers' comments will be published in a subsequent issue of the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor.

Xu Jianchu (editor-in-chief) (2000) Links between cultures and biodiversity. Proceedings of the Cultures and Biodiversity congress 2000, 20-30 July 2000, Yunnan, P.R. China. 1032 pp. ISBN 7-5416-1440-8/Q.57. USD 25 plus postage (USD 25 for surface mail, USD 45 for airmail). Published by Yunnan Science and Technology Press. To order, contact: Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge (CBIK), Yunnan, P.R. China. Zhonghuandasha, Yanjiadi, Kunming, Yunnan, China 650034
Tel: 86-871-412 3519 .
Fax: +86-871-412 4871.
E-mail: cbik@public.km.yn.cn
att. Ms Wang Yu

Downloadable at http://cbik.org/congress/papers/download/down.htm

This book of over 1000 pages offers an impressive presentation of various aspects of the fine and complex interactions between the natural environment and the cultural ways in which people deal with it. These connections were focused on five themes for an international congress held in Yunnan, P.R. China, 20-30 July 2000. The themes were:

Indigenous cultures and biodiversity
Local meanings of biodiversity
The importance of natural resource rights
The effect of globalization processes
Connecting local knowledge and scientific knowledge

During the congress, there were 18 sub-plenary sessions including Agro-biodiversity as a source of wealth for food security; Community-based natural resource management; Convergence of farmer knowledge and science in practice; and Indigenous innovations. During the last six days of the congress, eight thematic working groups worked together an themes such as Indigenous knowledge and cosmovisions; Nature reserves and local communities; Market and biodiversity. The present publication is organized around these eight working group themes. Contributions come from internationally well-known experts such as Darrell A. Posey, Luisa Maffi, Bertus Haverkort and Greg Lehman. But the real value of the book might be that it makes available so many interesting contributions by Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian participants who presented papers and case studies from their own research and experience. The mere translation of these contributions is a great asset. Thanks to the publication, the knowledge and insights of the relatively few participants to the congress - 80 from China, and 120 from more than 27 countries in Asia, Australia, North America, South America Africa and Europe - are now ready to be shared by many readers.