Mediterranean agricultural landscapes are the legacy of thousands of years of farming, shepherding and fishing experience. This experience and knowledge has been continuously cultivated by Mediterranean societies, who have developed a myriad of species and crops for human consumption by adapting their practices to local environments, traditions and customs. These traditional practices have proved to achieve a balanced, sustainable productivity in harmony with nature, preserving species, ecosystems and genetic diversity.

In the following storymap, IUCN-Med has compiled a set of reported cases where agricultural practices have been shown to benefit biodiversity. Grazing, transhumance, herding by sheperds and other cultural practices can help to disperse seeds, preserve genetic diversity or protect certain types of plants, birds or insects.



Discover which Mediterranean agricultural practices are showingn to benefit biodiversity in the following storymap of MEDCONSERVATIONMAPS:

http://www.medconservationmaps.org/story/The_legacy_of_the_land?step=cover

Photo: © Saeed Siddiqui