Agrobiodiversity features, conservation and utilization of China’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

Recent increases in agricultural productivity have largely been attributed to the availability of high-yielding varieties, farm irrigation and agrochemical inputs. However, many of the inputs and practices of intensive agriculture have remained detrimental to human health, environmental quality and biodiversity conservation. The shortage of intensive modern agriculture requires “agriculture rethinking” and learning back from traditional agricultural systems. Conservation of existing biodiversity in traditional agricultural systems and the adoption of biodiversity-based practices have been proposed as a way of improving the sustainability of agricultural production. In 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) started an initiative of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) that emphasized dynamic conservation ideas. FAO defined GHAHS as “remarkable land use systems and landscapes rich in globally significant biological diversity evolving from the co-adaptation of a community with its environment and its needs and aspirations for sustainable development”. The GIAHS initiative aimed to establish the basis for international recognition, dynamic conservation and sustainable development management of such systems as agricultural biodiversity and the associated biodiversity, knowledge systems, food and livelihood security, landscapes and cultures. Since then, an increasing number of countries and international organizations have accepted the concept of GIAHS with the related dynamic conservation ideology, as especially supported by Global Environment Facility (GEF). Over five years of implementation of GEF project in pilot countries have shown that not only agrobiodiversity and cultural diversity been effectively protected, but also sustainable socio-economic development has been well promoted. Based on 11 GIAHS sites in China, this paper analyzed the agrobiodiversity features from the view of genetic diversity, species diversity, ecosystem diversity, landscape diversity and cultural diversity. It then illustrated the ecological thoughts and principles, and some suggestions were put forward for conservation and utilization of agrobiodiversity. The approaches included the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems, intensification of agrobiodiversity conservation and sustainable management research, formulation of incentive mechanisms for agrobiodiversity, and setting up of self-supporting and sustainable development mechanisms.