The overlap between biological diversity and human uses of the landscape generates debates between conservation and development goals. Previous research has documented conflicting results. Research in conservation biology has documented the negative impacts of human populations in tropical forest. Research in ethnoecology has documented a positive correlation between biological and cultural diversity. To date, no research has addressed the potential paths trough which indigenous peoples might affect biodiversity, neither the impact of policies that integrate indigenous groups in the management of natural landscapes. In this research, we 1) test the association between forest conservation and cultural identity, 2) analyze the relation between different uses of the land and changes in the ecosystem in an area of high biological diversity, and 3) use an experimental design to determine whether participatory mapping reduces encroachers pressure on the indigenous lands. Research is conducted by a team of cultural anthropologists (Reyes-García, Huanca, and Godoy), ecologists (Gueze, Guinart), and remote sensing specialists (Lobo, Paneque, Ledezma).
Funding organization.. Fundación BBVA, Spain
