Abstract

We combine ecological calendars and the biocultural ethic. The firstrefers to natural or seasonal calendars and focuses on the temporal scale of life cycles and other ecologicalphenomena observed at a given place. The second emphasizes the vital links among human and non-humanco-inhabitants, their habits (e.g., cultural practices of humans or life cycles of other-than-human species) inshared habitats (the “3Hs” of the biocultural ethic). Close observation of biological and cultural diversity, andtheir interrelationships (in short, biocultural diversity), synchronizes cultural practices with natural processes atspecific places. This synchrony is particularly relevant in the context of climate change because by being locallyattuned, communities enhance their capacity to adapt their activities to the variability of temperature, rainfall,and other climatic events. In this article we use the term biocultural calendars to more closely understand thelinks between different life habits in contrasting habitats and annual seasons. In this way, biocultural calendarsprovide an understanding of biological and cultural heterogeneity in different seasons and regions of the worldthat can help us adapt to a rapidly changing world.