I am currently working on a book chapter with both illustration and writing. The book is titled “Linking Art with Biocultural Conservation, Restoration, & Communication.” It’s an interdisciplinary collaboration among artists, philosophers, ecological conservationists, landscape planners and designers, educators, scientists, and activists from around the world. The book will be published by Springer and the expected publication date is Fall 2024

ABASTRACT

The Biocultural Conservation, Restoration, & Communication (Biocultural CRC) framework recognizes that, due to its aesthetic and epistemological weight, art has the ability to display biocultural diversity, present socio-ecological crises, construct narratives, inspire environmental imagination, shape people’s understanding, urge society to be responsible for the management of the socio-ecological complex, identify significant biocultural values, nurture environmental resilience, encourage a new paradigm of biocultural communication, and much more.

Applying the Biocultural CRC framework, I conducted a research study in the summer of 2023 on biocultural diversity in Tengchong, Yunnan Province of China. Yunnan, renowned as “the kingdom of plants and animals” and the “gene bank of species,” has been globally recognized for its rich biological diversity. Using the 3Hs (Habitats, Habits, Co-in-Habitants), I explored the natural environment, human-nature interactions, and the co-inhabitation of humans and other-than-human species. I gained insights into the symbiotic relationship between humanity and the environment.

In my chapter, “A Biocultural Sketch of Lanxangia Tsaoko”, I am spotlighting a local plant, Tsaoko (Lanxangia tsaoko), as a case demonstrating a positive link between biodiversity and cultural diversity in the region. The chapter will combine visual storytelling with an essay, utilizing painting, illustration, and graphic design to visualize how culture and nature are intertwined around this plant. The visual storytelling will illustrate the plant’s habitat, how humans utilize it, how it contributes to society and lifestyle, and how humans protect it and its environment in return. Through this example, the chapter aims to enhance public understanding of biocultural diversity. It will also explore how art and design can contribute to biocultural CRC, enhance human engagement with local biodiversities, and raise awareness about the ecosystems where biocultural interactions continue to evolve.

WORK
“A Biocultural Sketch of Lanxangia Tsaoko”
(Book chapter)

PUBLICATION
“Linking Art for Biocultural Conservation, Restoration, and Communication”.

Part of series “Ecology and Ethics”. Series Editor: Ricardo Rozzi

• Electronic ISSN: 2198-9737

• Print ISSN: 2198-9729

SCOPE
International • Peer Reviewed

INFORMATION
The book examines the complexities of linking arts with biocultural conservation, restoration, and communication. See below for more information about my project.

PUBLISHER
Springer, New York

BOOK CO-EDITORS
Danqiong Zhu, Ricardo Rozzi, Rika Tsuji, Carolina Castro Jorquera, Benn Johnson, Li Zhang, Li Xu, and Terrance Caviness

PUBLICATION DATE
FALL 2024

WEBSITE

• Link