Explanations and Enlightenments of the GIAHS’s Criteria

Abstract

In 2002,the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations initiated the international project named Conservation and Adaptive Management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).Up to now,six different systems have been selected as pilot sites including China’s Qingtian Traditional Rice Fish Culture.The criteria of GIAHS pilot sites include three parts: System criteria,contextual criteria and project implementation criteria.System criteria cover outstanding characteristics (indicators include food and livelihood security,benefits maximization,social cohesion,resource endowments and knowledge systems,social and cultural diversity,public goods,traditional knowledge,and relation to the land),proved history of sustainability (indicators include economic viability and sustainability,adaptive capacity,and human ecological sustainability),and global significance (indicators include public goods and value-added).Contextual criteria cover representation (indicators include geography,eco-regions ecosystems,systemic,scalar impacts,demonstration effect,and outstanding examples),external threats (indicators include external threats),and policy and development relevance (indicators to be developed).Project implementation criteria cover project integration (indicators include project integration,partnerships,and international conventions),co-finance potential and project approach (indicators include indicators include international conventions,incremental approach,community empowerment,respect,decentralization,ecosystems approach,programmatic approach,and value-added).Considering the implementation of the project in China,the author suggested Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (NIAHS) and their conservation should be paid much attention to and the criteria should cover some aspects like bio-cultural diversity,cultural-ecological-social sustainability,regional and typical representativeness,contribution to international conventions,importance to local socio-economic development and eco-environmental protection,demonstration and positivity of local governments.