ABSTRACT
‘Traditional knowledge’ refers to the body of wisdom, innovations and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities (CBD, 1992b). We see in the world that young generations of farming communities are increasingly reluctant to learn about, or are simply not interested in understanding, plant genetic resources (PGR) and associated traditional knowledge (ATK), which may result in their loss. The risk of losing ATK appears either when an owner of ATK does not pass it on to a recipient (another generation or other interested persons); when the overall situation in which the knowledge is used changes; or when the material concerned is lost. If the information passed on is not useful, or if the related resource is no longer there, the ATK loses its purpose. When any of these conditions or combinations thereof occur, we need to address this situation with a conservation action. After more than a decade of work at Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD, Nepal), we have learned that a community biodiversity register (CBR) can contribute to the empowerment of community institutions. Through this practice of community biodiversity management (CBM), communities gain a better understanding of their own biological assets and values, and are better able to use those assets for livelihood development while appreciating and sustaining them for future generations.
