Page 153 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

136 M. Adomßent and U. Stoltenberg

only in relationship to indigenous people living in rainforests, whose natural
world together with themselves is threatened. In order to become aware of and
attend to these relationships, a number of different instruments and initiatives
have been developed on both regional and international levels. NGOs and govern-
ment programmes have developed concepts to support indigenous peoples (see for
example Mars and Hirschfeld 2008). On a regional and community level interna-
tional gardens and neighbourhood gardens are practical initiatives and at the same
time opportunities for communication about sustainable development. Community
or government programmes or grassroots initiatives for the conservation of old
cultivated plants are the global answer to the weakening of food security and the
quality of life.

Biodiversity as an Element of Sustainability Communication

Sustainability communication cannot limit itself to informing or educating the
populace about complex ecological relationships. It would be an important step if
information about biodiversity were not provided in a purely textual form, but
instead would be related to everyday contexts or to a variety of areas of social expe-
rience. Such strategies must be supplemented by developing possibilities to pre-
serve biological diversity. The complex relationships surrounding biodiversity, as
shown above, offer a good opportunity. There are many potential actors. The ques-
tions for sustainability communication include:
• Who are the major actors?
• What opportunities are there for them?
• What types of cooperation are possible in a common field of action?

Science has an important role to play here. For example, DIVERSITAS, a global
association of actors in biodiversity research, has the goal of supporting the search
for ways to a sustainable use of world-wide biotic resources. This could involve
findings in conservation psychology (Corbett 2006; Manfredo 2008) as well as fur-
ther social science research in the advising of political decision-makers in matters
concerning biodiversity (Gilbert et al. 2006). Finally inter- and transdisciplinary
research projects can show opportunities to take action that have a real chance of
being put into practice (www.biostrat.org).
Biodiversity is a problem area that was initially seen by the public to be largely
global in context, i.e. biodiversity as an issue connected with the rainforests. There
is a factual reason for this as rainforests have the greatest density of biodiversity and
probably also the greatest treasure of species and genetic diversity. But for Europeans
the rainforest is also a fascinating, exotic, mystical region, which is not necessarily
considered to be in the realm of actual possibilities to take action (Flitner 2000;
Gallup Organization 2007). NGOs that are engaged in protecting the rainforest and
showing specific actions that can be taken there have an important role to play in
sustainability communication (e.g. www.oroverde.de).