New survey to identify Cultural Keystone Species
Nature is essential for life on Earth and many efforts are deployed to select the most effective biodiversity conservation strategies. However, these strategies often fail to incorporate considerations on species that matter to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
They aim of ICTA-UAB researchers is to generate new knowledge on species of particular cultural importance for Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world. To that end, a group of scientists involving ICTA-UAB researchers from the LICCI project has designed a survey that will help them identify Cultural Keystone Species (CKS, i.e., plant, animal, or fungal species of exceptional cultural significance to a specific ethnic or cultural group).
The survey is directed to researchers and practitioners with a depth understanding of the value of nature for a specific cultural group, as well as for representatives of Indigenous peoples or ethnic communities. Information collected through this survey will be the basis for scientific publications highlighting the global spread and contributions of CKS. Results will also be used to inform global biodiversity conservation strategies through policy briefs that emphasize the need to incorporate cultural considerations in biodiversity management strategies.
This initiative is part of the Functional Interactions and Biodiversity Targets (FItBiTs) working group of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). The working group explores organisms of key importance for nature’s contributions to people relevant at the large scale and essential for a safe and just future for people and nature. Collaborating institutions include the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain), the Núcleo Diversus on Diversity and Sustainability (Córdoba, Argentina), the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies (University of Zurich, Switzerland), and the Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE, France). The reseacrhers are Victoria Reyes-García, Rodrigo Camara-Leret, Casey O’Hara, Delphine Renard, Noelia Zafra-Calvo, Benjamin Halpern and Sandra Díaz.
The survey, which collects anonymous non-personal data on CKS, will take between 5-15 minutes and can be found here: https://cks.projectesainternet.com. It is open to all, and it is in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Bahasa and Russian. For further information, please contact Victoria.reyes@uab.cat.