Homogeneity and Diversity

This photograph was taken by an Italian named Paolo Margari. It could be anybody, anywhere on the globe. At first glance, it seems as if the photo has nothing to do with the preservation of biological and cultural diversity in Alamos. Instead, it speaks of homogeneity, a uniform that has become standard in almost every country in the world.

Nonetheless, I cannot think of a topic more relevant to biocultural diversity right here, right now. Because blue jeans are worn daily by millions of people all over the world, the global demand for indigo dye is enormous. When Levi Strauss first came up with the product, indigo was produced on plantations in third world countries. Long ago, natural indigo was phased out in favor of synthetic chemically-produced dye. Because the production of synthetic indigo results in pollution, there is a call to return to natural dye.

Indigo grows wild in Alamos. The local native indigo could be collected to produce dye to be sold on the world market. Small-scale cultivation could be pursued as well. This would be less damaging to local biodiversity than current practices of slash and burn, cattle ranching, and the introduction of ecologically incompatible species.

What's more, indigo is a legume, so it fixes nitrogen and helps build the soil.

Because many people here depend upon the land for their livelihood, those involved in conservation must replace damaging economic activities with beneficial ones. Conservation is impossible unless lost income is replaced.