Towards a Biocultural Heritage Territory in Rabai Cultural Landscape: Exploring Mijikenda Cultural Values and Practices for Sustainable Development

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

Download

Abstract: Biocultural Heritage Territories (BCHTs) are mosaics of land uses, deeply linked to Indigenous knowledge systems embedded in cultural traditions. The Potato Park in Cusco, Peru is perhaps the best-known example of a BCHT, where Indigenous knowledge and practices effectively combine food production with sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection. This study was conducted as part of the ‘Indigenous Biocultural Heritage for Sustainable Development’ project (2018-2021), funded by the Sustainable Development Programme of the British Academy. The project explored how Indigenous Peoples’ worldviews, wellbeing concepts, cultural values and customary laws promote or hinder biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Conducted with the Rabai sub-tribe of the Mijikenda Indigenous people in Kilifi County, coastal Kenya, this case study was coordinated by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), working closely with the Rabai community. It examined the interconnections between culture and biodiversity, and how biocultural heritage contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 2 ‘End Hunger’. It also sought to contribute to the establishment of a collectively-governed BCHT in Rabai, and used the Potato Park’s decolonising action research approach where research is co-designed and facilitated by Indigenous community researchers.