Terralingua: Unity in Biocultural Diversity (M4-2)

http://www.terralingua.org/html/home.html

This is the website for Terralingua, an organization devoted to the “integrated protection, maintenance and restoration of the biocultural diversity of life – the world’s invaluable heritage of biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity – through an innovative program of research, education, policy-relevant work, and on-the-ground action” (para. 1).

On the site, you will find links to the organization’s statement of purpose, administration, and history, as well as a listing of the initiatives that they are carrying out.  Terralingua’s work relates to indigenous cultures in that part of their mission is to promote linguistic diversity among humankind—indigenous and non-indigenous alike.  Because indigenous languages and cultures are the ones that are endangered, much focus is placed on these languages.  In addition, one of their focuses is in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and language loss, and the effects on biodiversity.

This information would be a great starting point for someone looking for information on research initiatives involving indigenous people worldwide.  Though not all updated, the following sections will be of use to the researcher:

• Activities (Outlines some of the specific projects undertaken by Terralingua)
• Publications (Articles and print material published by Terralingua)
• Resources (FAQ’s, Introductory information about biodiversity and TEK)