The term biocultural has seen a dramatic increase in use since the 2000s, referring to a variety of concepts including approaches, heritage, and landscapes. This wide range of meanings may reflect the term’s broad appeal; however, differing understandings can also lead to misinterpretations. We examine these diverse conceptualizations of the biocultural through a case study from Suriname. The case study focuses on a project that brought together a community-based organization, an international non-governmental organization, university researchers, and a data monitoring company to co-develop a biocultural monitoring system. Over the course of two years, it became apparent that each partner held a different understanding of what biocultural monitoring entailed. These differences related to who was involved, whose goals guided the work, and what was being measured or documented in the monitoring activities. In this presentation, we share how the team identified and acknowledged these differing interpretations and worked toward shared goals. We highlight approaches and tools that supported our diverse team in bridging knowledge systems, including the use of illustrated scenes to facilitate conversations on local understandings of wellbeing and to explain the data collection and storage lifecycle. Our experience highlights that clarifying the multiple meanings of biocultural is not only a conceptual task, but a practical necessity for effectively supporting communities and their landscapes and seascapes.