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Biodiversity protection must include language preservation

Published: 09/29/2026, 12:00 AM

Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar The loss of an Indigenous language can also mean the loss of the ecological and medicinal knowledge embedded in it (see R. Cámara-Leret et al. Nature 655, 1212–1216; 2026). Although declines in language use can be reversed, efforts to do so remain overlooked in national legislation and policies. Governments should provide sustained support for community-led immersion, family- and land-based learning and digital tools that help speakers to teach and pass on their languages to the next generation. Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem — it’s time to fix it Humanity spoke thousands of languages at the dawn of farming — now many of them are lost Seeking an industry role after your PhD? Make sure your CV reflects that