Side Event

Achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets: the essential role of the local communities and indigenous peoples and their agri-culture heritage

Organizer
World Agricultrural Heritage Foundation (WAHF)

Date and Time
9 October 2014 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

A growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that indigenous and traditional agricultural systems, feature a high degree of biodiversity and genetic resources for food and agriculture, and for sustainability of environment. These traditional, evolving systems of agriculture, norms and practices, reflects the rich and globally unique agricultural biodiversity, within and between species but also at ecosystem and landscape level. Such systems are often located in centers of crop diversity, and they contain wealth of biological resources, both domesticated and adapted landraces, as well as wild and weedy relatives of crops. The richness of biodiversity in any form, can only be effectively maintained, adapted and conserved with the human management systems that have created it, including indigenous knowledge systems and technologies, specific forms of social organization, customary or formal law and other cultural practices. Having been founded on ancient agricultural civilizations, GIAHS are linked to important centers of origin and diversity of domesticated plant and animal species, the in situ conservation of which is well documented. The proposed side event will feature examples of local communities and indigenous peoples' work in conserving and sustaining the biodiversity, their important role, support needed and how they can support the acceleration of achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.