Rome (EFE) – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) delivered this Monday Certification of Important World Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) various ecosystems of Ecuador, Mexico and Brazil in recognition of their landscape, agronomic and cultural importance.
At a ceremony held at the FAO headquarters in Rome, the indigenous “chakras” of the Andes and the Napo province of Amazonia in Ecuador were valued. “milpa” agroforestry system Maya from the Mexican Yucatan (south) and traditional crops from the south of the Espinhaรงo Meridional in Minas Gerais (eastern Brazil).
“These communities are examples of biodiversity and remind us that to protect people we must protect the planet. Their GIAHS systems are like storefronts that offer local solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.
At this Monday’s ceremony, GIAHS certificates were presented to representatives of twenty-four ecosystems recognized since 2018 and distributed in twelve countries in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
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FAO recognitions
However, the Mexican delegation was unable to attend the graduation ceremony due to the disruption of air traffic caused by the eruption of the Popocatรฉpetl volcano.
The GIAHS is the highest award given by FAO to areas that, thanks to their natural landscapes and agricultural activities, stimulate the economic and social activity of rural areas, combining biodiversity, climate resilience and tradition in a unique way in the world.
Since 2005, FAO has designated 74 systems agricultural heritage in 24 countries, and currently 15 new proposals from 7 different countries have been presented.
Latin American countries make up seven global GIAHS distributed among Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil.
The secretary for territorial administration and territorial and socio-ecological development of Brazil, Moisรฉs Savian, and the permanent representative of Mexico at the FAO, Miguel Garcรญa Winder, took part in the presentation of the certificate.
Photo: EFE/EPA/Fabio Frustaci
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