Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge

CBIK is a participatory learning organization, dedicated to biodiversity conservation and community livelihood development, as well as documentation of indigenous knowledge and technical innovations related to resource governance at community and watershed levels, which is supplementary for government works. The organization was established in 1995 as a membership non-profit organization. Its more than 100 members include research professionals, development practitioners and resource managers. CBIK aims to explore alternative development approaches for working directly with indigenous people and communities to enhance their livelihoods and maintain cultural and biological diversity through application of indigenous cosmovision, knowledge, and innovative technology in the environment of rapid change and uncertainty faced by local people in SW China. CBIK also works to promote local and regional inter-sectorial and intercultural dialogue and communication among rural communnities, NGOs, academia and governmental agencies. For this purpose, it conducts interdisciplinary research, faciliation for participatory development, consultation for cultural identity, networking for information sharing, and capacity building for watershed governance and livelihood development.