Biocultural rights, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities: protecting culture and the environment (online)

This lecture will investigate the role of biocultural community protocols in safeguarding the biocultural rights of Indigenous and local communities. In so doing, the lecture will analyse the nature and role of biocultural community protocols within the context of access to genetic resources and benefit sharing, linking this to the rise of biocultural jurisprudence and the interlinkages between cultural diversity and biological diversity conservation. The lecture will also provide critical insights about biocultural community protocols, raising questions including whether these protocols can be seen as political tools and representational strategies used by Indigenous peoples in their struggle for greater rights to their land, territories and resources, and for more political space.