Ethnobiology and Development in Asia

To against the backdrop of an interlinked climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crisis, it is critical to generating robust knowledge inclusive of local and indigenous perspectives, supporting policy-making and capacity building across the globe, for a just world that values and conserves nature. 'Ethnobiology and Development in Asia: The Belt and Road Initiative' offers a groundbreaking perspective on how traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and biological resources interweave along ancient and contemporary trade routes across Asia.

This book presents a novel interpretation of the Belt and Road Initiative through an ethnobiological lens. It consists 49 chapters and is organized in three sections, including common species and cultures along the Belt and Road, flow of species and cultures along the Belt and Road, community-based Initiatives along the Belt and Road. By exploring how communities interact with their natural environment across diverse ecological zones, it examines grassroots initiatives and human-nature interactions that have evolved along these historic pathways in a contemporary context.

From the Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests, from ancient silk routes to maritime trading paths, from rural places to urban settings, it documents how people have developed sophisticated relationships with local species and ecosystems, creating a rich traditional knowledge of biological and cultural diversity. It also visualizes how local communities together with various stakeholders explore vibrant and innovative ways of living in harmony with nature.

This book delivers an important and timely message to be shared among policymakers, researchers, and the general public to value the traditional knowledge and perspectives held by local peoples and make them speak loud in the global discourses of climate change and biodiversity conservation. It underscores the necessity of actions that respect and protect the invaluable knowledge held by indigenous people, contributing to the implementation of the CBD's aims and the IPBES's integrated approach to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Through its detailed ethnobiological analysis, this book offers a practical guide for integrating traditional knowledge into mainstream conservation and development strategies, thereby supporting the sustainable community development along the Belt and Road.