Research Progress in the Conservation and Development of China-Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS)

Abstract

To cope with the problem of the global agricultural environment, food security, and the crisis of sustainable agricultural development, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), together with other relevant national organizations and several countries, launched the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in 2002. The Qingtian Rice-Fish system was designated as China's first GIAHS and was included in the first batch of GIAHS pilot sites, in 2005. Since then, study of systematic agricultural heritage and its conservation and development has progressed in China. On the basis of a comprehensive collection of relevant studies, the author reviews the main achievements in conservation and development of China-Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) over the past 15 years. At the present stage, the core contents of study on agricultural heritage are focused on two aspects. One is the benefit of exploration with multi-functional development. Another is dynamic conservation with adaptive management. There are many controversies around the concept and connotation of agricultural heritage, which, in turn, promote the understanding of this new type of heritage. The sustainable mechanism within agricultural heritage gives itself value diversity. Study about the value of agricultural heritage highlights the significance of conservation. The development of multi-functional industrials based on its multi-functional value is the pathway for the development of China-NIAHS, including the production of high-quality and characteristic local agricultural products, the development of ecotourism, and the development of cultural industries. To carry out dynamic conservation and adaptive management, the establishment of "five in one" benefit-sharing, multi-stakeholder mechanisms, legally guaranteed incentive mechanisms, government-leading, multi-financing mechanisms, and multi-disciplinary scientific support mechanisms are indispensable. Although China has made great progress in the study of agricultural heritage, it still needs to carry out additional research through heritage resources surveys, regular patterns of system evolution, and sustainable mechanisms, as well as perform more applicable research in framework and mechanism construction and paradigms of dynamic protection. Multidisciplinary comprehensive studies are necessary as well.

Edible Biological Resource Use in an Agricultural Heritage System and Its Driving Forces: A Case of the Shuangjiang Mengku Ancient Tea and Culture System

“…This is evident from the numbers of species that the four minority groups consumed and is also shown by the variety of edible parts, the range of harvest times, and the multiplicity of EBR uses. This multifaceted diversity in EBR use in the agricultural heritage system shows that biological resources constitute a critical element of the natural environment [18,63] in maintaining biodiversity [20] and are fundamental to sustaining the livelihood of farmers in the system [61,64,65]. A wealth of agricultural wisdom and cultural knowledge has been indicated by the sustainable use of EBRs [18,20].…”

“…This multifaceted diversity in EBR use in the agricultural heritage system shows that biological resources constitute a critical element of the natural environment [18,63] in maintaining biodiversity [20] and are fundamental to sustaining the livelihood of farmers in the system [61,64,65]. A wealth of agricultural wisdom and cultural knowledge has been indicated by the sustainable use of EBRs [18,20]. However, overuse of EBRs due to the low income of the inhabitants and their high dependence on biological resources is becoming a major threat to biodiversity [40].…”

“…The two-step inductive method was used to identify the driving forces of EBR utilization, following [60]. The first step was to form a master list of the driving factors of different EBR uses for the minority groups in the study area, derived from relevant literature [18,20,37,39,61] and the data obtained from the key informant interviews. The second step was to determine the relationships between EBR uses and items on the list.…”

“…Agricultural heritage is a newly recognized form of heritage. Agriculture has developed from ancient agricultural practices to form coordinated and sustainable systems full of natural, cultural, social, and economic values [18], including the FAO globally important agricultural heritage systems such as the Hani rice terraces in China, the Engaresero Maasai pastoralist heritage area in Tanzania, and Kunisaki Peninsula Usa integrated forestry, agriculture, and fisheries system in Japan.…”

“…Biological resources are important in agricultural heritage systems because they are the bases of rural livelihoods. Research into different heritage systems has shown that the protection and sustainable use of biological resources contribute to the multifunctionality of an agricultural heritage system [18,19]. For example, research into maintaining biodiversity has found that some unique varieties of plant species have good resistance to disease [20][21][22] and can maintain a high yield with little external input such as pesticides or herbicides [19].…”