Biocultural heritage – linking biological and cultural diversity

Cultural policies and practices

Authors

Keywords:

local genetic resources, knowledge and skills, integral approach, transformation of capitals, valorization

Abstract

Based on international policies and foreign investigations, attention is directed towards a problem poorly developed in our country – the essence and manifestations of biocultural heritage. A special emphasis is the interpretation of the rural scenery as a biocultural and multifunctional landscape. The author points out that in Bulgaria the relations between natural and cultural heritage are not yet an object of an integrated approach and adequate management of the processes for preserving biocultural resources for future objectives. As a good practice, a case of constructing a heritage based on biocultural achievements in the village of Kurtovo Konare, Plovdiv District, is analyzed. Heritage valorization is examined as a process of mobilizing resources (available and potential) and transforming capitals (after Pierre Bourdieu). The author indicates that the created symbolic capital has significant importance for local development and for the quality of life.

 

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Author Biography

  • Valentina Ganeva-Raycheva, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

    Dr Valentina Ganeva-Raycheva is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; verbal traditions, cultural heritage, cultural policies, Bulgarians abroad, migrations and mobility, cross-border research, museology.

Published

2025-09-18