2020 ESA Annual Meeting (August 3 - 6)

COS 239 Abstract - Linking biological and cultural diversity for conservation in China

Vanessa Hull, Christian Rivera and Xiaoxing Bian, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Background/Question/Methods

Linkages between biodiversity and cultural diversity have been increasingly recognized in the scientific community. But questions remain on the spatial variation of such relationships and their relevance for conservation and management of biocultural diversity. This is particularly the case for China, a country supporting 55 ethnic minority groups and four global biodiversity hotspots with numerous endangered species of international concern. Here we took a spatially explicit approach to examining correlations between cultural and biological diversity in China and the implications for on-the-ground conservation. We conducted an integrated social-ecological hotspot analysis of data on cultural diversity from available census data and biodiversity data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We also analyzed spatial overlap between cultural diversity and the habitat of the vulnerable giant panda. To understand the consequences of such broad patterns at a local level, we then scaled down to analyze social-ecological data (e.g., social surveys and wildlife surveys) from local case studies on human-wildlife interactions in giant panda reserves. In particular, we examined the intersections between cultural practices of Tibetan and Yi people and giant panda conservation in and around protected areas that are otherwise underappreciated in current management efforts.

Results/Conclusions

We found a significant correlation between biological and cultural diversity patterns across China. There was a particularly high area of overlap in the southwestern region and a high proportion of ethnic minority groups in and around protected areas. Giant panda habitat and protected areas overlapped with a large number of ethnicities that interact with natural resources in diverse ways, an observation that has in the past been underappreciated in ecological research. The local case studies revealed nuances in human-wildlife feedbacks mediated by biocultural diversity. These included novel patterns of culturally-specific bamboo harvesting by people that threatened giant panda persistence inside nature reserves and spurred local creation of new conservation policies that in turn impacted local cultural practices. In addition, we found wide variation in traditional ecological knowledge across biodiversity gradients. Our research sheds new light on the challenges faced in situating giant panda conservation in a dynamic cultural context. The findings also have significant implications for understanding culture as a source of variation in anthropogenic impacts across biodiverse spaces in China and beyond.