Biocultural innovation in the Colombian Pacific Coast: Limits and potentialities for autonomous well-being

Abstract

Biocultural approaches have consolidated as a hybrid study area and advocacy from academia and social movements. Within this conceptual framework, biocultural innovation emerges as new ways of doing things based on diverse knowledge production (including the traditional), created landscapes, cultural and spiritual values, and customary norms. These processes translate into new knowledge, resources, capacities, and practices applied in the relationship with a territory. This paper aims to explore the possibilities of Biocultural Innovation (BI) in communities living in rural coastal environments, particularly on the Colombian Pacific Coast. To this end, we propose four community opportunities related to the biocultural paradigm: (a) community biocultural protocols; (b) nature seen as the subject of rights; (c) communal innovation practices created by grassroots communities; and (d) collective repositories of local knowledge. In conclusion, BI is an emerging research topic by communities and academia as a process to safeguard and foster their knowledge and culture intrinsically related to biodiversity toward autonomous well-being.