Role of oral and intangible heritage in environmental conservation

A contribution to sustainable development

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to address the relationship between oral and intangible heritage and sustainable development, based on the analysis of the components of biodiversity, immersed in the ancestral cultural manifestations exhibited at the Barranquilla-Colombia carnival and their relationship with sustainable development. It was carried out under the interpretive paradigm with a qualitative approach, it was limited to the type of ethnographic research. Taking as the population object of study the leaders of the tradition, actors and makers of the Barranquilla carnival, the sample was represented by key informants selected by the snowball methodology. The participant observation, also the semi-structured interview, was used as information gathering techniques. Categorization, triangulation, and theorizing were used as tools for validity and reliability; This made it possible to conclude that the Barranquilla carnival is a showcase for the biodiversity components of the Colombian Caribbean, it represents a window of opportunity to carry out environmental and heritage conservation exercises in an integral way, which allow a truly sustainable development. It is recommended to take advantage of the massive scope of the carnival events to raise awareness in environmental education, simultaneously with heritage dissemination activities.