Biocultural diversity and the Mediterranean diet.

The Mediterranean diet constitutes a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions ranging from the landscape to the table, including the crops, harvesting, fishing, conservation, processing, preparation and, particularly, consumption of food. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a nutritional model that has remained constant over time and space, consisting mainly of olive oil, cereals, fresh or dried fruit and vegetables, a moderate amount of fish, dairy and meat, and many condiments and spices, all accompanied by wine or infusions, always respecting the beliefs of each community. However, the Mediterranean diet encompasses more than just food. It promotes social interaction, since communal meals are the cornerstone of social customs and festive events. It has given rise to a considerable body of knowledge, songs, maxims, tales and legends. From 15 to 19 November 2010, the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention will adopt the final decision over the nominations of new elements to be inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Between these nominations, there will be the transnational nomination of the Mediterranean diet that already obtained in May 2010 a positive recommendation from the Subsidiary Body of the Committee. This decision of UNESCO will be a milestone in the path of the global recognition of the cultural values of food, agriculture and sustainable diet. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes the development of a relatively new concept: the bio-cultural diversity. This concept encompasses biological diversity at all its levels and cultural diversity in all its manifestations. Biocultural diversity is derived from the countless ways in which humans have interacted with their natural surroundings. Their co-evolution has generated local ecological knowledge and practices: a vital reservoir of experience, methods and skills that help different societies to manage their resources.