RESPOND: Case Studies on Cultural Practices for Enhancing Ecosystems

Indigenous Peoples and local earth-based communities form 5% of the global population, yet take care of 80% of the planet’s remaining biodiversity. If we are to successfully conserve and restore Earth, we must learn from these ancestral systems, which respect all life; taking only what is needed and ensuring the landscape remains abundant in the long term. These top-line case studies, evidence how different cultural practices and traditions protect and enhance the ecosystems they form a part of. They offer examples of how human behavior can actively benefit rainforests and weather systems, the health of soil and water, and the flourishing of all other species.