"From Ziquejie Terraces to the World" - An Invitation for Reaching the Ziquejie Consensus on Terrace Preservation and Development to the World

XINHUA COUNTY, China, Sept. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As an important cultural heritage of humanity, terraces have nurtured agricultural civilizations, preserved biodiversity, and provided food and livelihoods. They have also carried human wisdom and history, demonstrating great ecological, economic, social, and cultural value.

Ziquejie Terraces, located in Xinhua County, Hunan Province, is included in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and the World's Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS). The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has recognized 78 GIAHS worldwide, with China leading with 19 of them.

On September 20th, the "From Ziquejie Terraces to the World" -- Global Farming Culture Exchange and Mutual Learning Conference was held in Xinhua County, Hunan Province. Over a hundred participants from China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Thailand, Rwanda, Pakistan, and other countries discussed GIAHS and WHIS like Ziquejie Terraces. Relevant parties jointly released the Consensus on Terrace Preservation and Development during the conference.

The Consensus calls for identifying and recording the locations of terraces, promoting typical cases, proactively and actively implementing policies, respecting public opinions, and strengthening international cooperation. It also advocates jointly enhancing the exchange and mutual learning of farming culture, exploring new ways to speed up the preservation and development of terraces, and contributing to the principle of "conservation as it is, dynamic utilization, and integrated business formats" of terraces worldwide.