Cultural and linguistic diversities are underappreciated pillars of biodiversity

As the world grows less biologically diverse, it is becoming less linguistically and culturally diverse as well. Biologists estimate annual loss of species at 1,000 times or more greater than historic rates, and linguists predict that 50-90% of the world's languages will disappear by the end of this century. Prior studies indicate similarities in the geographic arrangement of biological and linguistic diversity, although conclusions have often been constrained by use of data with limited spatial precision. Here we use greatly improved datasets to explore the co-occurrence of linguistic and biological diversity in regions containing many of the Earth's remaining species: biodiversity hotspots and high biodiversity wilderness areas. Results indicate that these regions often contain considerable linguistic diversity, accounting for 70% of all languages on Earth. Moreover, the languages involved are frequently unique (endemic) to particular regions, with many facing extinction. Likely reasons for co-occurrence of linguistic and biological diversity are complex and appear to vary among localities, although strong geographic concordance between biological and linguistic diversity in many areas argues for some form of functional connection. Languages in high biodiversity regions also often co-occur with one or more specific conservation priorities, here defined as endangered species and protected areas, marking particular localities important for maintaining both forms of diversity. The results reported in this article provide a starting point for focused research exploring the relationship between biological and linguistic-cultural diversity, and for developing integrated strategies designed to conserve species and languages in regions rich in both.

R ecent correspondence in Science has centered on whether conservation of biodiversity should focus on protected areas, where humans are excluded, or on sustainable development in areas where people live, a strategy referred to as community-based conservation.[*][1] The debate raises some important issues. First, protected areas and community areas are not alternatives. Rather, they are complementary strategies, and neither is self-sustaining. Protected areas are essential for the conservation of some species, but for practical purposes they can only represent a small fraction of the world's biota. Second, most biodiversity (such as insects and microbes) lies in regions where local communities cannot use it for self-sustaining commercial enterprise. Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) provide a form of compromise, in which conservation agencies supply aid in return for local stewardship of the biota. However, there are many undeclared problems with such schemes. For example, there is often a lack of compliance by local communities once aid projects are completed, and both central governments and commercial interests often override local authorities. Recognition of these problems is a first step toward finding solutions to them. One lesson from past ICDPs is that we cannot assume that a legislated protected area will automatically save biodiversity. All such areas are suffering attrition in terms of loss of area, habitats, and species. They become degraded through illegal resource use unless there is formal governmental intervention to prevent attrition. A policy of active replacement of lost area is required if these reserves are to be maintained in the long term.[†][2] Conservation also has to focus on solving the underlying social problems. If local communities are to succeed in maintaining protected areas, then outside economic assistance must find ways to ameliorate poverty and illiteracy, allocate resources equitably among all community members, and stabilize populations in regions surrounding the protected areas. Economic assistance must be persistent, but ways need to be found to assess whether the community is living up to its commitments to conserve biodiversity. Where protection of biodiversity is not seen to be of clear economic benefit to the community, outside assistance should change this condition by helping to increase community pride in their environment, increase the local economic benefits of conservation, rehabilitate depleted resources, and increase the community's ability to control the use of resources by outside interests. Amboseli National Park in Kenya is a good example of cooperation between local communities and external conservation agencies to maintain the large mammal ecosystem. For most conservation projects, sustained and flexible outside support will be required. This is contrary to the philosophy of all current donor programs. Such programs are designed for average environmental conditions under which nature and human society can coexist. However, almost inevitably an environmental disaster will occur, to which the poorer countries are the most vulnerable. Under such circumstances, additional external assistance will be required to prevent the loss of biodiversity caused by the precedence of human demands. Further intervention will be required to curb harmful and excessive resource extraction and the problems of governance that generally disenfranchise those who sustain themselves on local resources. Although these problems manifest themselves on the local and national levels, they are unlikely to be resolved without substantial support and pressure from abroad. Unfortunately, there is little precedent for such actions aside from military operations. Unless we can overcome these kinds of problems, neither protected areas nor community-based conservation projects are likely to succeed. The past history of international assistance for protected areas and community-based conservation projects is not encouraging: it has tended to be episodic, not sustained. Short-term help in this area won't work. Long-term commitments, to support long-range planning and permanent positions, are essential. [1]: #fn-1 [2]: #fn-2

The present study explores cultural and linguistic aspects of diversity in the context of universities with English-medium instruction (EMI) in Arabic-dominant Kuwait. As with other Arabian Gulf countries today, Kuwait is experiencing a rise of linguistic and cultural diversity not only due to the use of English as a lingua franca by the multi-ethnic, multilingual society, but also because of the adoption of EMI in higher education. The present study focuses on multilingualism at EMI universities in Kuwait and the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on the educational process. The mixed-method approach combines a survey with undergraduate Kuwaiti students (N = 483) and semi-structured interviews with international faculty (N = 11) at two EMI universities in Kuwait. The survey results indicate that young Kuwaiti bilinguals regularly engage in multilingual interactions characterized by fluid use of multiple languages both within the educational environment and at home. The patterns emerging from interviews with educators indicate that pedagogical approaches in a range of academic fields also reflect linguistic and cultural diversity in the context of higher education with EMI in Kuwait.

This study explored how cultural, linguistic, and gender diversity among teachers influence inclusive learning outcomes in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Using a quasi- experimental design, 332 SSII students and eight teachers across four schools participated. Data were collected using pre- and post-tests in English and Mathematics, and analyzed with independent t-tests and regression analysis. Results revealed no significant gender differences in student performance (p > 0.05). However, cultural diversity (β = 0.41, p < 0.01) and linguistic diversity (β = 0.36, p < 0.01) significantly predicted student achievement. The study concludes that cultural and linguistic diversity foster inclusive learning environments.

While anthropological primatology is known for its basic research on understanding the human condition from comparative and evolutionary perspectives, its applied and practicing domains are equally important to society. Applied researchers and practitioners often work in the fields of environmental sustainability and conservation, biomedicine, captive care and management, and education. For sustainability and conservation specializations, primatologists seek careers in higher education, government, and nongovernmental organizations and may work in large and diverse teams on conservation and management problems for nonhuman primates (hereafter, termed primates). Primate conservation has largely focused on population monitoring in protected and unprotected areas; measuring effects of agriculture, extractive industries, and tourism on primates; and evaluating intervention strategies. Primate population management in urban and peri-urban areas is a growth area; these landscapes pose risks for primates that are absent or rare in protected areas, which include dog attacks, animal–vehicle collisions, and electrocutions. Anthropologists can leverage their deep knowledge of primate behavior, cognition, and ecology as part of interdisciplinary teams tasked with environmental mitigation in these human-centered landscapes. One example of this work is the use of arboreal crossing structures for primates to move safely through forests fragmented by roads. Primate conservationists recognize that environmental sustainability extends beyond conservation. For instance, primates may create public health problems or nuisances for local communities in cases where they are potential disease vectors. While these circumstances lead some people to view primates as pests, in a subset of these cases, cultural norms and values prohibit culling (i.e., killing or otherwise removing from a population) as a management strategy. Primate conservationists working on these issues may integrate human perspectives and attitudes toward primates in localized intervention or mitigation programs aimed at environmental sustainability and/or natural resource management. More than half of the world’s nonhuman primate species are threatened with extinction, and this problem is mostly a modern and global phenomenon related to unsustainable land use. Primates enhance many societies through providing ecosystem services, enriching cultural heritage, and advancing scientific research. It is for these reasons that primatologists often contribute to conservation programs in protected areas. Protected areas are designed to allow wildlife to flourish in spaces by restricting land use activities, but the history of protected areas is fraught with social injustices. Such areas are often but not always associated with higher biodiversity than adjacent and unprotected spaces. People and primates have shared spaces since time immemorial, often in sustainable ways. In addition, allocating a majority of primate range areas to fortress-style protection is at odds with the economic growth models of some primate range countries (i.e., nations with indigenous wild primates). Furthermore, many primatologists recognize that conservation benefits from integrating social justice components into programs with the ultimate goal of decolonizing conservation. Primate conservation continues to build on the foundation of basic and applied research in protected areas and, further, contributes to the development of community conservation programs for environmental sustainability. Examples of these developments include participating in offset and mitigation programs, introducing ethnographic methods to applied research to evaluate complex social processes underlying land use, and contributing to the decolonization of primate conservation.

Patterns of biological diversity have been shaped by cultural practices in the past, while in turn, cultures and languages have evolved in close interaction with local species and ecosystems. However, in the Anthropocene, human activities are putting increasingly diverse pressures on ecosystems and cultures, resulting in accelerating threat levels on both. Understanding where biological and cultural diversity is threatened globally, and how far current and historical anthropogenic drivers such as colonialism shape their distribution is crucial for pinpointing hotspots and prioritizing efforts to counter these threats. We use global data on biological diversity (using amphibians, birds, mammals and reptile diversity as a proxy) and linguistic diversity (using as a proxy for cultural diversity) to estimate their current threat levels using the Red List Index framework. Using this data, we identify hotspots and coldspots of threat to both biological and linguistic diversity as well as a combined threat (here termed biocultural diversity threat). In a second step, we identify global drivers of biological, linguistic and biocultural diversity threat using beta‐regression models. We find that the spatial patterns of the erosion of biological diversity and linguistic diversity are only weakly congruent on a global scale and that they are driven by differential sets of mechanisms. These include the level of urbanization in the case of linguistic diversity threat and roughness, per capita GDP and the proportion of intensive agriculture for biological diversity. The only common driver of biocultural, linguistic and biological diversity threat was the increasing occupation time of European colonial powers. Hence, our results show that the European colonial expansion has left long‐lasting imprints on both biological and cultural diversity. This highlights substantial time‐lags of human past actions and can be readily translated to today where the globe is more connected than ever, illustrating the importance of understanding and alleviating contemporary anthropogenic pressures. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

African languages have played an important role in the development of linguistic theory but their role in the fields of historical linguistics and linguistic typology has been less prominent. Africa’s linguistic diversity has been long underestimated given the dominance of the four-family model proposed by Joseph Greenberg. Criticism of this model has long held among specialists in some of Africa’s smaller and lesser-known language families, but has only recently become more widely acknowledged among linguists. Archaeologists, geneticists, and others continue to model African prehistory based on African linguistic classifications, which are outdated and which have failed to withstand scrutiny. This teaching and learning guide suggests a program to train scholars in recognizing and evaluating the standards by which various African language classifications have been made. Africa’s linguistic diversity will be shown to be far greater than what is suggested by the four-family model.

Purpose This study reports on the development of an auditory passage comprehension task for Swedish primary school children of cultural and linguistic diversity. It also reports on their performance on the task in quiet and in noise. Method Eighty-eight children aged 7-9 years and showing normal hearing participated. The children were divided into three groups based on presumed language exposure: 13 children were categorized as Swedish-speaking monolinguals, 19 children were categorized as simultaneous bilinguals, and 56 children were categorized as sequential bilinguals. No significant difference in working memory capacity was seen between the three language groups. Two passages and associated multiple-choice questions were developed. During development of the passage comprehension task, steps were taken to reduce the impact of culture-specific prior experience and knowledge on performance. This was achieved by using the story grammar principles, universal topics and plots, and simple language that avoided complex or unusual grammatical structures and words. Results The findings indicate no significant difference between the two passages and similar response distributions. Passage comprehension performance was significantly better in quiet than in noise, regardless of language exposure group. The monolinguals outperformed both simultaneous and sequential bilinguals in both listening conditions. Conclusions Because the task was designed to minimize the effect of cultural knowledge on auditory passage comprehension, this suggests that compared with monolinguals, both simultaneous and sequential bilinguals have a disadvantage in auditory passage comprehension. As expected, the findings demonstrate that noise has a negative effect on auditory passage comprehension. The magnitude of this effect does not relate to language exposure. The developed auditory passage comprehension task seems suitable for assessing auditory passage comprehension in primary school children of linguistic and cultural diversity.

The study focuses on the issue of preserving and maintaining the cultural and linguistic diversity of the EU and presents a possible way to utilize the tools of regional development planning for such purposes. The issue is of relevance for many reasons. Most importantly, the founding Treaties of the EU contain obligations of the Union to uphold its linguistic and cultural diversity. Additionally, maintaining this diversity is a crucial part of the human rights-based approach to sustainable development and as such forms an integral part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The study first discusses why linguistic and cultural diversity is important from the point of view of sustainable development. It then presents the case study of Szeklerland in Romania as an illustrative example of how such diversity is under threat and concludes with a discussion on a possible way the EU can foster the preservation of its rich linguistic diversity through its regional development policy planning.KeywordsCultural diversitySocial cohesionRegional development policyHuman rightsSustainable developmentEU

Purpose- This research aims to explore the impact of highly advanced technology in reducing cross-cultural language conflicts, especially in Indonesia, which boasts rich linguistic and cultural diversity. Information technology has significant potential to serve as a catalyst in mitigating language conflicts amid the cultural and linguistic diversity in Indonesia. Design/Methodology/Approach- The research employs a descriptive-analytical literature review method, which highlights various relevant theories supporting an understanding of how technology can play a crucial role in dampening language conflicts. Data collection from literature reviewed by several researchers is conducted to gain a profound understanding of the impact of information technology in mitigating language conflicts among different language and cultural groups. Findings- The findings indicate that information technology serves not only as a tool to reduce conflicts among groups with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds but also as a facilitator in building intercultural and interreligious communication. By exploring digital solutions, it is evident that technology plays a significant role in deepening cross-cultural understanding and strengthening inter-country relationships. With technological advancements, it is expected that these solutions will continue to innovate and contribute to creating a more inclusive and mutually understanding society amidst the linguistic and cultural diversity in Indonesia. Research Limitation/Implications- This research is still in the theoretical realm and does not involve field testing as a comparative method. Nevertheless, this study can be considered as a preliminary step in exploring the role of rapidly developing technology in addressing language conflict issues.

This article reports the results of a school-based curriculum development project that aimed to support language teachers working with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations in Norway to develop teaching strategies that foster intercultural citizenship and multilingual competence. Three university researchers collaborated with two schools to increase mutual respect and tolerance for cultural and linguistic diversity in language classrooms, to increase awareness of the positive impact of home language maintenance on academic performance, and to improve the engagement of multilingual literacy and student identity in the classroom. Data were collected during teacher workshops and while following the delivery of the project, and consist of lesson planning materials, texts produced by students, and a follow-up teacher survey. The article presents examples of activities and materials the teachers at the cooperating schools designed and implemented, samples of student work, as well as teacher reflections on the extent to which the project promoted multiliteracy and intercultural citizenship. The findings suggest that while the project helped strengthen awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity at the schools, understanding of the relevance of the home language to literacy development and academic success and multiliteracy were not adequately supported. Implications for future work to promote language classrooms that foster linguistic and cultural diversity and multiliteracy are discussed.

Multilingual and multicultural classrooms have become a significant challenge for educators due to increasing cultural and linguistic diversity. The purpose of this study is to explore the importance and methods of implementing culturally responsive pedagogy in multilingual classrooms. The study used a descriptive literature research approach to explore the importance and methods of implementing culturally responsive pedagogy in multilingual classrooms. The finding reveal that acknowledging and valuing linguistic and cultural diversity in education not only enriches the learning environment but also prepares students to thrive in a global society, making it essential for educators to embrace culturally responsive pedagogy as a fundamental practice in their teaching. By fostering an inclusive atmosphere that respects and celebrates differences, educators can enhance students' sense of belonging and self-efficacy, which research has shown is crucial for fostering engagement and motivation across diverse populations in multilingual settings, ultimately resulting in improved academic performance and holistic well-being.

Constructing differences: A qualitative analysis of teachers’ perspectives on linguistic and cultural diversity

Like the transfer of genetic variation through gene flow, language changes constantly as a result of its use in human interaction. Contact between speakers is most likely to happen when they are close in space, time, and social setting. Here, we investigated the role of geographical configuration in this process by studying linguistic diversity in Japan, which comprises a large connected mainland (less isolation, more potential contact) and smaller island clusters of the Ryukyuan archipelago (more isolation, less potential contact). We quantified linguistic diversity using dialectometric methods, and performed regression analyses to assess the extent to which distance in space and time predict contemporary linguistic diversity. We found that language diversity in general increases as geographic distance increases and as time passes—as with biodiversity. Moreover, we found that (I) for mainland languages, linguistic diversity is most strongly related to geographic distance—a so-called isolation-by-distance pattern, and that (II) for island languages, linguistic diversity reflects the time since varieties separated and diverged—an isolation-by-colonisation pattern. Together, these results confirm previous findings that (linguistic) diversity is shaped by distance, but also goes beyond this by demonstrating the critical role of geographic configuration.

BackgroundEthnic minority communities and people living with dementia have been under‐represented in epidemiological studies. Concurrently, there are limited insights into how to analyse and report on a minimum set of variables related to cultural and linguistic diversity in such studies. In light of increased cultural and ethnic diversity in national populations, this review aims to investigate the collection, reporting and analysis of variables related to cultural and linguistic diversity in epidemiological dementia studies, and to identify best practice exemplars to inform recommendations for accurately capturing cultural diversity in future studiesMethodEmbase, PsycINFO, Medline, CENTRAL and CINAHL will be searched for peer‐reviewed studies published between January 2000 and January 2020. Selection criteria are: epidemiological dementia research studies (including clinical trials and cohort studies) focusing on cultural and ethnic minorities or cultural and ethnic difference, and undertaken in high‐income countries. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses) guidelines will be used to report findings.ResultResults will describe the variables related to cultural and linguistic diversity, the related measures used, how such variables are treated (e.g. categorical or continuous) and triangulated, what corrections are made (if any) for variables such as time lived in country of settlement, and how these are analysed to inform understanding of dementia among ethnic minorities in high‐income countries.ConclusionBased on these findings, best practice exemplars will be identified, and recommendations made for a minimum and consistent set of variables relating to ethnic diversity to be collected and reported. The study addresses methodological uncertainties around which variables to collect and how to bring them together in a robust analysis that accounts for the cultural and pathological heterogeneity often found among ethnic minority study participants living with dementia.Reference 1Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018. Older Australia at a glance. 2L. F., Barcenilla‐Wong, A. L., and Brijnath, B. 2019. Including ethnic and cultural diversity in dementia research. Medical Journal of Australia, 211, 345. 3World Bank Country and Lending groups.https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519#High_income. Accessed 14 January 2020.