The cultural context of biodiversity conservation - Oapen

The global context
Despite recognition of the crucial role of peasant and indigenous groups who have
used and conserved genetic resources since time immemorial, Guha and Martinez-
Alier (1997: 115f.) remind us that the CBD does not explicitly ensure their ownership
and rights to these resources. The authors raise the question of whether genetic resources,
wild resources, or traditional and genetically engineered varieties should be
commercialised or whether they should remain a ›world heritage‹. Such questions remain
unresolved and a number of aspects of the CBD have generated considerable
controversy and are subject of continuing intergovernmental negotiations. 30 With regard
to its translation into practice, Gündling (2002: 11) remarks that the CBD will
only be as effective as its implementation will be at the national and international level.
Even if it explicitly mentions the application of national legislations, it has become a
significant forum for discussions on indigenous issues and an important benchmark in
view of which national regulations and legislations have been designed. In this way,
the processes between the global and the local are mediated by national and regional
processes. The CBD maintains formal liaison with other international agreements and
treaties that touch on biodiversity issues, including provisions on local and indigenous
communities and intellectual property rights. The follow up conferences are seen as important
events in that they promote ongoing discussions on key issues and negotiations
on policy directions for future developments.
In addition to the growing international attention and public concern over the
proceeding global environmental change, particularly since the arising debates accompanying
the emergence of the CBD, a similar apprehension emerged within academic
debates. In general, the scientific challenge has been to develop interdisciplinary expertise
drawing from both natural and social sciences, to approach the »powerful global
environmentalist doctrine of biodiversity« (Marcus 1995: 105). Departing from the
latter, scholars like Hajer and Fischer have argued that the ›global turn‹ of Rio is not to
be interpreted as »the ›climax‹ of environmental discourse per se« (1999: 2). Although it
appears a key moment in the determination of environmental problems, many terms
remain unclear and need to be reframed in an effort to find new ways of dealing with
the politics of environmental change. Essentially, the authors express their conviction
that the discourse is characterised by the fact that it has been detached from the cultural
dimension of environmental politics. They recommend reconsidering the cultural
assumptions underlying operational practices. Among others, this is one topic to be
discussed in the following chapter conceptualising claims and features of the discursive
production within different strands of academic research in the social sciences.
30 In the course of the negotiations within the executive body of the CBD, an Ad Hoc Working Group
was founded to specify the implementation of Article 8(j) and related provisions. Reference to this
particular issue also appears in other policies of global scope; an overview is provided by Long Martello
and Jasanoff (2004: 10f.).
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