Research On 'Indigenous And Local Communities' Characteristics And Traditional Knowledge

Traditional knowledge related to biodiversity shows important economic,cultural,and ecological values in fields such as modern industry and agriculture,biodiversity protection,and sustainable development.The provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol concerning "indigenous and local communities"stipulate that indigenous people are holders of traditional knowledge and should fairly share the benefits derived from the use of traditional knowledge,innovations,and practices.As a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity,China's implementation of the provisions involving"indigenous peoples and local communities" is of vital importance to the protection and benefit-sharing of the traditional knowledge of ethnic minorities.However,the existing problems of vague concepts and difficult application scope have hindered China's performance of the convention and the protection of traditional knowledge to some extent.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct in-depth and systematic research,especially empirical research with foreign indigenous peoples,to solve the concept and application of "indigenous and local communities" in China's implementation of the convention.This study used a comparative case study method,the Wa,one of the ethnic groups in Yunnan province,and the Eastern Kuku Yalanji,one of the Indigenous communities in Queensland,were selected.Cangyuan county and Ximeng county in Yunnan province,Mossman and Wujul Wujul in Queensland state were the field survey sites,and the field research adopted a purposive sampling method to select key informants in the community to conduct in-depth semi-structured interviews,and thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data.Through field research,the following three aspects of the research have been mainly done:1)Basic characteristics research and empirical analysis of indigenous and local communities;2)Empirical comparison of the types and characteristics of traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities;3)Empirical comparison of the two indigenous and local communities on the cognition,existing challenges,and protection strategies of traditional knowledge.The main results of this study are as follows:1.The fundamental characteristic of "indigenous and local communities" is self-identification.Through literature and empirical research,the Wa ethnic minority in Yunnan and the Kuku Yalanji community in Queensland have shown similar characteristics in terms of secularity,traditional cultural governance system,traditional production and lifestyle,belief,and value system,and self-identity.The Wa people have the core characteristics of "indigenous people",and the history of colonization is not the basic characteristic of indigenous people.The key characteristic indicators of indigenous and local characteristics should include self-identification and cultural identity;close connection with the land and natural resources;traditional production and lifestyle;traditional cultural governance system;determined to protect the land's natural resources and environment value system;common ancestors or blood connection;the inheritance of traditional knowledge and culture from generation to generation.2.Case studies of the Wa ethnic group and Kuku Yalanji community prove that indigenous and local communities have similar types and characteristics of traditional knowledge in the protection and use of biodiversity.The types and characteristics of traditional knowledge between the Wa people and the aborigines are similar.This knowledge is embodied in the production and life of indigenous peoples and is an inseparable part of ethnic cultures.The traditional knowledge of the Wa and Kuku Yalanji communities are closely related to biological resources,rooted in history and traditional customs,embodying traditional life and production,passing on from generation to generation,promoting the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity,and culture is the core of traditional knowledge.The continuous practice of culture is an important factor in the preservation of traditional knowledge.The connotative characteristics of traditional knowledge should be recognized as the basic characteristics of indigenous and local communities.3.Indigenous and local communities have consistency in the inheritance,development,and protection of biodiversity and related traditional knowledge,existing problems,future development trends,and protection strategies.Based on the analysis of interview data,respondents in the Wa and Kuku Yalanji indigenous communities have similar attitudes towards traditional knowledge,expressing concerns about the disappearance of traditional knowledge,but showing a more positive attitude towards the changes and development of traditional knowledge.The differences in the influencing factors of traditional knowledge are reflected in the high degree of Wa interviewees' support for national policies and the lack of resource allocation for local government and community actions.The Kuku Yalanji community expressed concern about the value of traditional knowledge recognized by laws and policies,and the continued impact of colonization history is also a major concern of the Kuku Yalanji people.The traditional knowledge of the Wa and Kuku Yalanji communities has disappeared.With the rapid socioeconomic changes,the Wa and Kuku Yalanji indigenous communities have been threatened by developmental driving forces such as urbanization,climate change,habitat degradation,and policy influences with indigenous languages,natural resource management practices,technologies,and lifestyles,and cultural heritage.From the perspective of the influencing factors of traditional knowledge,the commonality of the two cases shows that traditional knowledge is subject to the interaction of social,historical,cultural,environmental,and political factors.The continuous adaptation of ethnic minorities and indigenous communities shows the dynamic and innovative nature of traditional knowledge.In summary,the Wa and Kuku-Yalanji protection actions are facing a common vision related to indigenous rights:legal protection,capacity building,and cultural revitalization.In summary,this study uses the case comparison method to conduct an empirical study on the vagueness of the term "indigenous and local communities" by Chinese ethnic minorities.The empirical evidence showed that the characteristics of the Chinese minority Wa ethnic group and the Australian Kuku Yalanji indigenous community show high consistency.The Wa community in Yunnan has the similar types and characteristics of traditional knowledge as the Kuku Yalanji community in Queensland;the Wa community is consistent with the Kuku Yalanji community in terms of cognition,inheritance,protection and development of biodiversity and related traditional knowledge.The study has application value for comprehensive and effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol and also provides decision-making support for the protection and utilization of traditional knowledge and culture in China.