FAQ

1. What does GIAHS stand for and what are GIAHS?
2. When was GIAHS concept formulated?
3. What is the goal and objectives of the GIAHS Initiative?
4. What are the intervention strategies of the GIAHS Initiative?
5. What is dynamic conservation approach?
6. How is GIAHS initiative trying to achieve both its development and sustainability goals in the face of globalization and global climate change/variability?
7. What do we mean by five assets of rural systems?
8. What are the criteria for judging adaptive management and dynamic progress?
9. At the rural community level, what are the factors that are most frequently at the base of the sustainable management of land and natural resources?
10. Why intervene in situations where the people concerned are already practicing ingenious and sustainable land and natural resource management techniques?
11. What kinds of local partners will GIAHS work with?
12. What are good policies for dynamic conservation of GIAHS and sustainable agriculture and rural development?
13. What are the advantages of using traditional agricultural knowledge systems?
14. How are the GIAHS sites and candidate systems chosen?
15. Will GIAHS Initiative work on sites in industrialized countries?

The Initiative does not exclude industrialized and well developed countries, however, for the purpose of granting financial resources, only developing countries and FAO member states are eligible.

In countries with a long agricultural systems tradition such as Japan and European countries, there are numerous «constructed landscapes, cultural heritage, sacred landscapes», which qualifies for GIAHS designation and recognition. GIAHS Initiative is working for technical collaboration on these sites and systems and would promote exchange of information, sharing of experiences and lessons learned from their landscapes and heritage management.