Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity
What many people may not know about El Salvador is that it has put forth a national effort to provide environmentally friendly agriculture, methods to protect wildlife, and ways to protect biodiversity. The country is small, therefore their natural resources are cherished immensely. However, these resources and other varieties of life are being threatened. The country has recognized the importance of biodiversity and has set forth an action plan.
With threats on biodiversity, comes threats on the country's culture. One way that this culture has shown care and appreciation for biodiversity includes the method they use for growing coffee. El Salvador's major cash crop is coffee. Many farms grow this coffee under the shade of trees. This is a biodiversity friendly way to grow this crop rather than clearing land and natural habitats. The arrival of intensive farming methods and pesticides in the 1970s led many regions to change their agricultural ways. This included clearing land for the purpose of farming (Podger, 1999). On the other hand, El Salvador clung tightly to their traditional, biodiversity friendly ways. This is just one example of how El Salvador values its biodiversity. So, how does this country's biodiversity tie into its cultural diversity?
While there has been some technological advances, the country remains very "old fashioned." For biodiversity, this is good news. Because this culture is so traditional, biodiversity has had the chance to remain the same as well. While it is being threatened, it is not facing as nearly a harsh danger as some countries are. The rain forests and natural vegetation in the country are facing threats. Only 2% of the natural forest vegetation is left. However, this culture depends on its resources and land ("Convention on biological,"). In return, not only is El Salvador culture in harmony with their environment, they are also aware of the dangers that ignorance to biodiversity may bring.
The indigenous history of El Salvador also shows a close relationship to the country's biodiversity. The Pipil Indians were very in tune with nature. After all, this is the only reason why they were able to survive. Because El Salvador has a history and culture that is so closely related to the traditional way of living and indigenous peoples, the country values the same biodiversity their ancestors did. The animals, plants, and landscapes are still a pride and treasure to El Salvadorans.
Fully cited references found on Sources page.
With threats on biodiversity, comes threats on the country's culture. One way that this culture has shown care and appreciation for biodiversity includes the method they use for growing coffee. El Salvador's major cash crop is coffee. Many farms grow this coffee under the shade of trees. This is a biodiversity friendly way to grow this crop rather than clearing land and natural habitats. The arrival of intensive farming methods and pesticides in the 1970s led many regions to change their agricultural ways. This included clearing land for the purpose of farming (Podger, 1999). On the other hand, El Salvador clung tightly to their traditional, biodiversity friendly ways. This is just one example of how El Salvador values its biodiversity. So, how does this country's biodiversity tie into its cultural diversity?
While there has been some technological advances, the country remains very "old fashioned." For biodiversity, this is good news. Because this culture is so traditional, biodiversity has had the chance to remain the same as well. While it is being threatened, it is not facing as nearly a harsh danger as some countries are. The rain forests and natural vegetation in the country are facing threats. Only 2% of the natural forest vegetation is left. However, this culture depends on its resources and land ("Convention on biological,"). In return, not only is El Salvador culture in harmony with their environment, they are also aware of the dangers that ignorance to biodiversity may bring.
The indigenous history of El Salvador also shows a close relationship to the country's biodiversity. The Pipil Indians were very in tune with nature. After all, this is the only reason why they were able to survive. Because El Salvador has a history and culture that is so closely related to the traditional way of living and indigenous peoples, the country values the same biodiversity their ancestors did. The animals, plants, and landscapes are still a pride and treasure to El Salvadorans.
Fully cited references found on Sources page.