The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officially certified 24 ecosystems from 12 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) at a ceremony held on Monday in Rome, Italy.
This award is the highest honour of the organisation and highlights areas that, thanks to their natural landscapes and agricultural activities, encourage economic and social activity in rural areas, combining biodiversity, climate resilience and tradition in a way that is unique in the world.
In Spain, the award-winning areas were the millennial olive groves of the Sénia river (in Tarragona, Castellón and Teruel), the historical irrigation of the Huerta de València and the agrosilvopasture of the mountains of León.
“These communities are examples of biodiversity and remind us that to protect people we must protect the planet. Their GIAHS systems are like showcases offering solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss from the local level”, said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.
