#3 Young Researchers Meet the Earth Peacekeepers

This meeting is organized as part of the cycle Young researchers: peacekeepers with the earth. It will take place on May 26, 2021 at 9:00 am.

Meeting moderated by Émilie Gaillard, general coordinator of the Normandy Chair of Excellence for Peace.

François Huleux, Doctor of Law, graduate of the University of Paris-Saclay (France) and Laval University (Quebec City, Canada)

The contribution of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to the conservation of biodiversity.

Biological diversity is experiencing a pattern of erosion that the international community is trying to combat. In recent years, local and indigenous communities have been recognized as a model for the conservation and sustainable use of this diversity. They recreate, express and transmit knowledge and practices of natural resource management since time immemorial for some. In 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereafter “ICH Convention”) was adopted to preserve this heritage which is also on the verge of disappearing due to acculturation, globalization, deforestation, etc. Despite the interdependent relationship that characterizes some elements of intangible cultural heritage (hereinafter “ICH”) with the natural material elements with which they are associated, the Convention does not guide its Parties towards the recognition and preservation of this relationship. More precisely, it does not guide its Parties towards the conservation and sustainable use of all elements of biodiversity necessary for the safeguarding of ICH (web of life). Therefore, some might wonder about the capacity of the ICH Convention to safeguard the ICH associated with biodiversity? At a time when species are becoming extinct and “traditional” knowledge and practices are becoming scarce, it seems essential to evolve the implementation of the Convention by revising its Operational Directives towards a safeguarding better adapted to ICH associated with biodiversity. The ecosystem approach developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity (hereafter “CBD”), whose objectives are the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of natural resources, is the basis for this proposal to revise the guidelines of the ICH Convention. The approach allows for the management of ecosystems considered as webs of life of which humans and cultural diversity are an integral part.

Thesis directed by Professor Véronique Guèvremont and Professor Laurent Neyret

François Huleux holds a doctorate in law from the University of Paris-Saclay (France) and Laval University (Quebec City, Canada). His thesis is on the Contribution of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to the Conservation of Biodiversity under the supervision of Professor Véronique Guèvremont and Professor Laurent Neyret. In this context, he is a member of the UNESCO Chair on the diversity of cultural expressions and of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. Today, he is a Business Manager in a technology company in Dublin (Republic of Ireland).