Dr. Yao Fu from the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and members of the HPRD Lab has published a pioneering review in the internationally reputable journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. The study presents a new, practice-oriented framework from an ethnobiological perspective to translate community-based biocultural stewardship into tangible transformative change, providing a scientifically grounded roadmap for global biodiversity conservation and the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Against the urgent backdrop of global biodiversity decline, community-based biocultural stewardship has emerged as a core strategy recognized in international scientific and policy arenas. Rooted in relational values between people and nature, this approach elevates the agency of Indigenous and local communities as central actors in safeguarding biocultural diversity. Despite growing advocacy, the field has long remained largely conceptual, lacking actionable pathways to drive real-world transformation.
In this review, the team articulates that community-based biocultural stewardship functions as a proactive catalyst for systemic sustainability transition, anchored in the principle of emic, community-led governance. It moves beyond anthropocentrism to honor nature’s intrinsic value, empowers local communities while advancing social equity and intergenerational cultural transmission, and explores inclusive development models that integrate economic, environmental, social and cultural well‑being.
The researchers outline three interlinked priority action areas:
1. Expanding practice landscapes: Extend stewardship from conventional rural protected areas to urban settings and rural–urban interfaces. Urban green spaces, historic urban landscapes, heritage trees and community habitat gardens are highlighted as vital arenas for mainstreaming biocultural stewardship.
2. Nurturing long-term cross-cultural partnerships: Underpinned by ethical safeguards including Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC), Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), the framework promotes multi-stakeholder collaboration among researchers, governments, NGOs, private sectors and volunteers to sustain community-led initiatives.
3. Integrating diverse conceptual tools: Bridge Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Scientific Knowledge (SK) using robust instruments such as Culturally Significant Entities (CSEs) and structured decision‑making protocols, strengthening community capacity for evidence‑based governance.
The framework further supports scaling-out successful practices via policy integration, cultural networking, non‑extractive market mechanisms and public outreach, enabling local innovations to evolve into broader institutional and societal change.
This research was supported by the 2024 International Science and Technology Specialist (Individual) Certification Work of Yunnan Province (202403AK140018), Special Project for the Construction of Science and Technology Innovation Centers Facing South Asia and Southeast Asia – Yunnan International Joint Innovation Platform (202503AP140001), Partnerships for Community Development, and Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y4ZK111B01). The team reaffirms its commitment to long-term engagement with local communities, working to expand community-based biocultural stewardship from pilot projects to wide‑ranging application. By integrating ethnobiological insights with on‑the‑ground action, the research contributes Chinese expertise to the global sustainability agenda.