02029nas a2200157   4500000000100000008004100001100001300042700001900055700001700074245011800091856015300209300001200362490000600374520147800380022001301858                                       d1 aL. Ponti1 aA.P. Gutierrez1 aM.A. Altieri00aPreserving the Mediterranean Diet through holistic strategies for the conservation of traditional farming systems  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85049029447&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-319-26315-1_24&partnerID=40&md5=a71b2859319f87bd1d431e2680be1cfa  a453-4690 v53 aThe Mediterranean diet is described by the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity website (http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/00884 ) as encompassing more than just food of the various cultures. These diets are embedded in bio-cultural landscapes that are at risk from global markets, industrial agriculture, invasive species and climate change, and yet little research aimed at conserving this Mediterranean agricultural heritage is being conducted. A focus on preserving traditional Mediterranean agricultural systems provides unique opportunities to link UNESCO-SCBD’s Joint Programme on Biological and Cultural Diversity (http://www.cbd.int/lbcd/ ) and FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems initiative (GIAHS, http://www.fao.org/giahs/ ) with the goal of developing strategies and policy to preserve this heritage and the food production systems that are its basis for future generations. An important step in this direction is the development of holistic ecosystem-level assessments of the stability and resilience of traditional Mediterranean farming systems to evolving global change including climate change and shifting economic patterns and associated landscape transformations. A holistic approach is an important step to ensure ecologically sustainable development, conserve cultural identities, improve farming community livelihood, preserve agro-biodiversity and ensure the continued provision of vital ecosystem services for humanity.  a22119019