Natural Justice is actively developing the concept of biocultural rights with our partners in the regional initiatives on biocultural community protocols, among others. Biocultural rights are the bundle of rights required by communities to fulfil their role as custodians of their cultures, lands, waters, and resources. Biocultural rights can be defined at two levels. First, they exist as a body of rights identified from a wide range of environmental, human rights, and cultural heritage, among other, laws and policies that support the ways of life of communities that conserve and sustainably use of biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are two core texts in this regard. Second, biocultural rights can also be thought of as an aspirational (or normative) framework that expresses the optimum rights required by Indigenous peoples and local communities to govern their territories, areas, and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Natural Justice is currently writing two books on biocultural rights:

For more information about the local activities being undertaken through the regional initiative on biocultural rights, please read about our work in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Natural Justice is also considering developing a dedicated website on biocultural rights and associated legal resources.