Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiative "Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems" (GIAHS), Uzbekistan is forming a national list of territories that could be considered potential candidates for GIAHS status.

It is worth noting that such systems represent outstanding landscapes that combine agricultural biodiversity, sustainable ecosystems, and valuable cultural heritage, often serving as a foundation for territorial development.

Among these potential sites are agricultural landscapes and local communities engaged in sericulture in the Ferghana Valley, Karakul sheep breeding in the Bukhara region, viticulture in the Parkent district of the Tashkent region and the Oltiariq district of Ferghana region, and more.

Currently, the FAO office in Uzbekistan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan and the International Public Foundation "Zamin," has launched a project to study the sericulture system and related activities in the Margilan oasis, which meet the necessary criteria for GIAHS designation.

To this end, a visit by a FAO expert was organized to Ferghana region, where, with the support of the regional khokimiyat, a working group was established to study this agricultural system and prepare the necessary documents for subsequent international registration.

Following the preparation of initial materials, a visit by international experts and FAO headquarters staff to the city of Margilan is planned, where a seminar on implementing the plan and raising awareness among local project participants will be held in mid-July.

It is anticipated that obtaining the first GIAHS status will draw attention from both the global community and local stakeholders to the dynamic preservation of the natural and anthropogenic landscape, cultural heritage, and socio-economic development of the regions.

The global experience of registering GIAHS sites allows for the identification, preservation, and promotion of globally important agricultural knowledge, local practices, and traditions, contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural development.

Unlike traditional World Heritage sites and protected landscapes, the GIAHS concept is based on dynamic conservation—a concept that views agricultural territory as a living and evolving system of complex human-nature interactions.

GIAHS, as a program of the FAO initiated in 2015, aims to recognize, support, and protect traditional agricultural systems that contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and genetic resources for food production and agriculture, as well as to respect and promote rural livelihoods, knowledge systems, cultures, and values. This is one of the ways FAO contributes to integrating social and environmental sustainability in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.