HCV6

HCV6. Areas critical to local communities’ traditional cultural identity (areas of cultural, ecological, economic or religious significance identified in cooperation with such local communities).

The following detailed definition was developed specifically for forests areas, in the High Conservation Value Forest Toolkit (the "Global Toolkit"). The definition can readily be adapted to other types of habitat.

As well as being essential for subsistence and survival, forests can be critical to societies and communities for their cultural identity. This value is designed to protect the traditional culture of local communities where the forest is critical to their identity, thereby helping to maintain the cultural integrity of the community.

A forest may be designated a HCVF if it contains or provides values without which a local community would suffer an unacceptable cultural change and for which the community has no alternative. Examples of HCVF under this part of the definition would include:

• Sacred groves in India, Borneo and Ghana

• Forests used to procure feathers of the Argus Pheasant used by Dayak communities in Borneo in headdresses for important ceremonies.

• Forests in the Brazilian Amazon that are used by extractivist communities (such as rubber tappers) as the sole or main source of economic activity.

 This should include both people living inside forest areas and those living adjacent to it as well as any group that regularly visits the forest. For example, the Maasai people of East Africa are mainly involved in herding cattle on the plains. However, they use forest as an integral part of their initiation rites and so should be considered in any discussion of forest use.