In the area of Biocultural Conservation, we focus on activities and strategies in which aspects of indigenous culture and biological diversity go hand-in-hand. We prioritize traditional knowledge as an essential part of the practice of conservation.

Currently, we are working on building the capacity of inter-cultural environmental educators, in coordination with the National Council for the Promotion of Education (CONAFE). In the first phase of this project, 28 young mestizos and members of the Rarámuri and Ódami indigenous groups from the Chihuahua municipalities of Guadalupe y Calvo, Balleza, Guachochi, Batopilas, Nonoava, and Morelos participated. The training workshops were geared towards having the young people contribute to the development of conservation concepts and practices that were appropriate to their respective cultures.

An example of the close relationship between culture and environment is the curative practice that the Rarámuri community of Choréachi has in its use of jíkuri, or peyote (Lophophora williamssi). The Alianza Sierra Madre is working to research and document this ceremony, the areas where this cactus is collected, and its uses, with an eye to protecting it, in its project “The Protection of the Sacred Route of the Jíkuri.”

Due to the important role that neotropical migratory birds play in biodiversity conservation, the Alianza Sierra Madre has developed studies on these birds with the participation of the indigenous communities of the Sierra Tarahumara. We have created an inventory of migratory birds in the Guadalupe y Calvo region (considered by the CONANP to be a priority conservation area), a bilingual manual (in Rarámuri and Spanish) on the birds of the Sierra Tarahumara, as well as many training workshops on bird conservation and habitat.

Additionally, we have advocated for environmental public policies for the Sierra Tarahumara through dialogue with governmental agencies. We point out the incongruity and problems caused by certain governmental policies, such as the granting of forest permits in priority conservation areas.