The cultural context of biodiversity conservation - Oapen

Introduction
1.1 The interdisciplinary approach
Human beings don't just look and see. Things are not just there. How we see, what we see, and what we
make of what we see are shaped by the elements of our mental maps. (McCarthy 1996: 6)
The present study is part of an interdisciplinary research project focusing explicitly on
the CBD as signed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Not until the agreement came into force was scientific
attention drawn to interdisciplinary approaches to comprehend the driving undercurrents
of environmental and social changes associated with global phenomena.
Given the importance of biological diversity and sustainable development as central
concepts in the global discourse, the academic challenge consists in moving beyond
disciplinary boundaries in order to encounter the complexity of ecological, social, political
and economic issues relating to the conservation of biodiversity. To capture these
interconnected issues, more holistically conceived frameworks have been widely
emphasised. In particular, new approaches that appreciate different research traditions
and methodologies, especially in the fields relevant to the implementation of the CBD
need to be developed. As an ambitious attempt to encounter this demand, a research
programme was designed at the University of Göttingen, entitled Valuation and Conservation
of Biodiversity. Implementation of Nature Conservation Strategies within the Framework of
the Convention on Biological Diversity. Funded by the German Research Foundation
(DFG), the three-year graduate programme, initiated in October 2000, involved 14
disciplines from eight faculties. Within this project, particular emphasis was given to
the investigation of problems and perspectives arising from the implementation of the
CBD. Thereby, the main attention centred on the establishment of protected areas as
a significant tool of in situ conservation of biological diversity. Given this frame of inquiry,
the scientific questions were related to different levels of analysis. 2
Departing from economic and juridical perspectives, one working group questioned
global dimensions and general issues of the CBD as a whole, beyond concrete
considerations concerning national implementation strategies. Examining a national
example, a second group focused on the implications of the establishment of the National
Park Unteres Odertal in eastern Germany. The investigations included contributions
from ecology, geography, political science, environmental history and rural sociology.
The third working group, which my study is part of, combined equally various
disciplinary fractions including agricultural economics, landscape ecology, conservation
biology and environmental anthropology. Starting from these perspectives, local,
regional and national perspectives on conservation strategies implemented in Guatemala
were investigated. The study areas were located in the central highlands and
northern lowlands of the department Alta Verapaz. The investigations took place in
2 For a general account of the research programme and details on the individual projects and the
findings of the specific studies developed therein, see the volume Valuation and Conservation of Biodiversity.
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Convention on Biological Diversity edited by Markussen et al. (2005).
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