BIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOLS - Portal do Professor

PART I / CHAPTER 2
relationship with the ecosystem. Studies in the Kumbhalgarh
Sanctuary have shown not only how the panther population
in the region has been sustained by our livestock, but also the
negative impacts caused by the exclusion of livestock from the
Sanctuary such as conflict over increased encroachment by
panthers into villages.
Just as our breeds are unique because of the areas we graze
them in, so the forests, gauchar and oran have evolved into
particular kinds of pastoral-based ecosystems because of our
long-term interaction with them. We are integral to the forests,
gauchar and oran: we cannot survive without them and they
will suffer without us. 6
The Samburu pastoralists in Kenya explain that they have
a symbiotic relationship with the land, stating that as keepers
of indigenous and exotic breeds of livestock, their lives are
interlinked with and wholly dependent on their animals.
Because their way of life also allows them to coexist with
wildlife, they promote the in situ conservation of biodiversity.
In their BCP, they say:
We live in an area of the world that is incredibly rich in plants,
wildlife and other environmental resources. Many parts of the
world used to be populated by wild animals that ranged across
the land, but have been depopulated because of the actions
of man. In contrast, wherever possible we live alongside
important animals such as lions, elephants, zebras, gazelles,
klipspringers and wild dogs. Near watering holes you will also
see bustards, the world’s heaviest bird, as well as hornbills and
birds of prey such as eagles.
We also have customary laws that guard against
environmental degradation. For example, a recent decision
by the Loisukutan Forest Committee has determined that,
because of the importance of the forest for fruits, honey, water
and wildlife, its use for grazing and wood must be limited. The
committee also decides about access to seasonal grazing areas.
Our pastoral way of life promotes the conservation of our
important indigenous breeds of livestock alongside world
renowned wildlife. We have a right to continue to live according
to our values that promote the sustainable use of our livestock
while ensuring conservation of the wider environment. 7
6. Supra note 4.
7. Supra note 2.
BIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOLS AS A
COMMUNITY-BASED RESPONSE TO THE CBD
3.3 Conserving Medicinal Plants and
Animal Genetic Resources
3.3.1 Medicinal Plants and Culture
The traditional healers we spoke to all explained how they
hold TK about the uses of certain plants, and as a result,
they specifically set out to conserve the plants from which
they sustainably harvested. In this case, TK leads directly to
conservation. The Gunis of Rajasthan, for example, have
three specific ways in which they conserve the medicinal
plants they use. The following is an excerpt from their BCP:
As a group, we conserve medicinal plants through home
herbal gardens and dharam bageechas (self-managed
medicinal plants development areas) and share our
knowledge with each other and our students to ensure its
continued development. In this way, the valuing of our
knowledge by our communities leads to conservation, and
the sustainable use of medicinal plants is leading to the
development of traditional knowledge.
Herbal gardens: We each have our own herbal gardens at our
houses in which we grow the most important plants. Often these
gardens are up to half an acre in size. We feel that every home
should have an herbal garden and promote the growing of the
most widely used plants for common ailments by villagers near
their homes and along the verges of fields. Presently, there are
already over 10,000 herbal gardens in Rajasthan, but we want
to promote a further increase in numbers.
Dharam Bageechis: Some of us have been given land by the
village on which to grow medicinal plants in a wild setting,
which we call dharam bageechis. Dharma is translated into
English as meaning selflessness or selfless service, and
bageechis is orchard. Thus dharam bageechis literally
means “gardens of service.” While we look after the areas, we
see them as a community resource upon which we draw to
treat community members. By closing the area to grazing,
many medicinal plants grow leading to their regeneration to
naturally abundant levels. We also specifically propagate
certain species that are not initially found within the dharam
bageechis or are particularly endangered.
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