Feature: Yunnan ethnic ecology and culture at the global main event of the International Day for Biological Diversity

Kunming, May 5 (ZXS) -- Feature: Yunnan's ethnic ecology and culture at the global main event of the "International Day for Biological Diversity"

China News Agency reporter Miao Chao Ruan Yulin

"Pick up the loach, pick the loach, go down to the field, go and pick the loach..." This is a traditional song and dance of the Hani ethnic group in Yunnan Province "Azhihe", which interprets the scene of Hani girls obtaining rich biological resources for food in the "four-element isomorphism" ecosystem of forests, villages, terraces and water systems built by their ancestors.

The picture shows the launching ceremony of "From Agreement to Collaboration: Restoring Biodiversity and China Action" at the event site. Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Ranyang

The 2023 "International Day for Biological Diversity" global main event was held in Kunming, Yunnan, China on the 22nd, with more than 200 representatives from members of the National Committee for Biodiversity Conservation of China, relevant United Nations agencies, the Bureau of the Convention on Biological Diversity, embassies of relevant countries in China, and international environmental protection organizations.

At the event, traditional songs and dances such as Hani "Azhihe", Bai "Dongshan Sheep Herding Tune", and Dai "Let Me Understand Your Language" were interspersed to show Chinese and foreign guests the ecological culture of Yunnan and convey the contributions of various ethnic groups to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Yunnan is the province with the largest number of ethnic groups in China, and the 26 ethnic groups living here have accumulated rich experience in harmonious coexistence between man and nature in long-term production and life, thus forming a rich traditional national ecological concept and culture, and is a model for combining ecological environmental protection concept and practice.

"The terraced fields of our Hani ethnic group conform to the terrain and guide due to the situation, planting trees on the top of the mountain to conserve water sources, multiplying and multiplying in the villages on the mountainside, combining planting and breeding of the terraced fields on the hillside, and intercepting pollution and reducing disasters in the pits under the mountain, presenting a unique ecosystem of 'four-element isomorphism' of forests, villages, terraces and water systems." Yang Yuni, an educator of the Hani rice terraces in Honghe, Yunnan, told reporters that the Hani people have maintained the concept of reverence for nature and gratitude for nature for thousands of years, "Our ancestors found a relatively fair solution between human rights and biological rights and interests, that is, while safeguarding their right to life, they expressed full respect and protection for living creatures and life through various taboos, rituals and behaviors." ”

He Shu, a Bai soprano singer from Dali, Yunnan, introduced that the Bai people have summed up a simple philosophy from long-term production and life practice - relying on mountains and eating mountains, eating mountains must also raise mountains. "The ecological and cultural view of the Bai people can be seen from many traditional customs and habits, such as there are specific feng shui forests near Bai villages, and no one shall damage a single grass or tree; Since ancient times, the Bai people have had traditional festivals of collective tree planting, mountain closure and forest protection, such as willow planting festival, color decoration and mountain closure ceremony; The Bai people also attach importance to the protection of animals and plants, and the Bai people in the area of Dali Heqing still maintain the bird festival. ”

In Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, every Dai village has a "ryu forest". Yufahan, a Dai girl from Xishuangbannamanzhang Village, told reporters, "All animals, plants and land in the 'Ryu Forest' are strictly forbidden to be felled, gathered, hunted and reclaimed. Because the Dai people have cultural customs to protect the "ryu forest", a large area of forest in Xishuangbanna has been sheltered for a long time.

On 2021 October 10, the first phase of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP13) adopted the Kunming Declaration, in which the contribution of indigenous peoples to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is enshrined in the Declaration: Indigenous peoples and local communities contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity through the application of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices, and their management of biodiversity on traditional lands and territories.

At today's event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated in a video message that "recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, who are the strongest guardians of the world's biodiversity." ”

"Global biodiversity hotspots are often culturally rich areas." Duan Changqun, founding dean of the School of Ecology and Environment of Yunnan University and distinguished professor of Donglu, said that Yunnan has 26 ethnic groups, and due to the different ecology of the place of residence and the different ways of adapting to the environment, they have created many distinct concepts and traditional knowledge for the protection and utilization of biological resources. When implementing biodiversity conservation actions in a specific area, it is necessary to organically integrate people's survival, production and lifestyle with natural ecosystems, and respect the action and voice of all ethnic groups. "Therefore, Yunnan is excavating, protecting, and using the biodiversity culture of various ethnic groups as a source of knowledge, information and methods for global conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions." (End)