Category: Threats

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Disappearing languages, disappearing agrobiodiversity

There are about 7,000 languages currently spoken around the world. By 2100, there will half that, if we’re lucky. That’s according to Harrison and Gregory Anderson of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages in Oregon, who “traveled the world to interview the last speakers of critically endangered languages as part of the National Geographic Society’s Enduring Voices Project.” Here’s a telling quote from Harrison Anderson:

Most of what we know about species and ecosystems is not written down anywhere, it’s only in people’s heads.

Just compare the map of hotspots of language loss with those of centres of crop origin and diversity. When the last native speakers of those 3,500 doomed languages go in the next century or so, they’ll be taking with them irreplaceable knowledge of agricultural biodiversity. Knowledge which we’ll need to make the most of that agrobiodiversity, and indeed to conserve it in situ (should we wish to) ((Or, indeed, should we be able to, given what climate change is going to do. Anyway, thanks to Ola for pointing out the article.)).

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China losing biodiversity “at a frightening rate”

Land in Beijing, mind at one in the morning, the rest of the world at 7, get to the waiting lounge, discover free wireless, scan internets, discover — hold the front page — that China is losing biodiversity extremely rapidly. A thoughtful piece in the Asia Times uses the demise of the Yangtze River Dolphin to take quite a detailed look at why conservation does not seem to get any traction here. Turf wars between ministries seem to be the prime reason. There’s little talk of agriculture (I know, we sound like a cracked record ((An early form of sound storage prone to defects, for our younger readers)) on this) aside from a very brief mention of ecosystem services. The fact is, China’s agriculture is among the oldest in the world, and the menu must be among the most diverse, but all the indications are that they are no longer growing the diversity they used to and that they are eating much of the animal diversity into extinction.

I’m on my way to Kunming, to see at first hand some exciting projects that make use of agricultural biodiversity to improve livelihoods. If connectivity there is as good and easy as it is here, and if I have the time, I’ll be sure to report here.