REDES Y PATRIMONIO BIOCULTURAL: DINAMIZANDO TERRITORIOS

In the rural areas of Europe and Latin America there is an immensely rich biocultural heritage, composed by plenty of material and immaterial resources: nature, agro-biodiversity, landscapes, local agricultural systems, origin products, cultures, traditions and “know-how”. However, this heritage is often underused, or it is exploited from a short-term and unfair perspective. Also, there are internal and external difficulties at the time of valorizing the territorial heritage in rural areas with the purpose of achieving an economic and social benefit, in addition to the resilience of the local populations. Different kinds of problems stand out, for instance, the limitations in resource activation and environmental sustainability. The biocultural rural resources can become catalysts of economic, social and territorial development processes based on a quality, multifunctional agriculture, on the diversification of economic activities and on the creation of an image that from a long-term perspective accomplishes to position a specific, differential advantage in each territory. Local actors, especially the small-scale producers, play a key role in the conservation and mobilization of these resources. Unfortunately, on many occasions, these actors do not receive benefits from the positive impacts of the valorization of this biocultural heritage in terms of income, work conditions and quality of life. The activation of a virtuous circle of inclusive, sustainable development based on these local, specific resources requires the appropriate competencies on diverse territorial levels, such as firms and farms, public spheres, development agencies and civil society; in addition to the systematic interaction between them and the contributions made by research and education fields.23 The educational needs related to the enhancement of the biocultural heritage are based on different elements, among them we have: the characterization of actors and resources to identify the potential of the territory; the creation of a trust environment, credibility and respect between the actors that enables a valorization strategy with a participatory approach; the management of innovative projects that encourage and strengthen the positioning and the inclusion of the biocultural, territorial heritage in differentiated markets; the implementation of local governance systems that contribute to conflict management and the encouragement of soft skills such as leadership, empathy and teamwork.