Intangible Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity Conservation in Northwest Yunnan

Intangible Cultural Heritage(ICH)has been a topic of scientific inquiry for quite some time.Previous studies have mostly been focusing on the documentation,conservation and intellectual property rights issues,as well as its cultural significance.Areas where ICH is most abundant usually coincide with rich biodiversity,a hot topic in the current global village.However,very little attention has been paid to the roles and functions ICH plays on biodiversity conservation.This paper presents a case study of Northwest Yunnan,China,a culturally and ecologically diverse area.This area has been regarded as one of the 25 hotspots of global biodiversity.Based on preliminary cultural and biodiversity inventory data collected from two pilot sites in Northwest Yunnan,this research integrates the techniques in sociology,linguistic anthropology,ethno-semantics and conservation biology to explore the interaction mechanisms between ICH and biodiversity conservation.Rules governing ICH and biodiversity conservation will be analysed in detail,and potentials of ICH in relation to biodiversity conservation addressed.The relationship between cultural assets(including ethnic languages)and biodiversity conservation will also be explored,its implications for government policies suggested.It is hoped that this study will shed light on the issue of how to better protect our environment through implementing UNESCO's Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage,and to help maintain ethnic culture and biodiversity conservation.