How is the concept of “biocultural diversity” created through transnational encounters? How does it move throughout the world and possibly gain traction, and yet transform itself, in a bewildering number of countries and contexts? This essay highlights the temporal and conceptual novelty of biocultural diversity, considering how we can understand biocultural diversity in relation to power, history, and the role of governance. The essay shows how these questions arise by looking at their emergence in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province.