Proposal from the United Arab Emirates For the designation under the GIAHS Program of Al Ain and Liwa Historical Date Palm Oases
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This document proposes to designate Al Ain and Liwa date palm oases as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Site (GIAHS) under the respective FAO programme. Al Ain and Liwa constitute globally significant in situ repositories of date palm genetic resources, and are home to ancient falaj irrigation systems, which bear testimony to human agricultural and technological ingenuity, with important lessons for future coping strategies and sustainable development in the face of climate change. Loc ated in a country, which has experienced extreme rapid development and undergone dramatic socio-economic change, the oases no longer have their traditional significance in subsistence agriculture. However, their iconic importance to the United Arab Emirates’ cultural identity and traditions, and the environmental quality they add to Al Ain and Liwa City as well as their role in national branding and sustainable tourism, cannot be overstated. A very active and dynamic conservation program, seekin g to revitalize the oases through a variety of measures, such as protection against urban encroachment, restoration of aflaj irrigation systems, and re-introduction of traditional agricultural management, is fully supported by state-of-the-art development plans, legislative initiatives, academic research and the highest level of Abu Dhabi’s government.