Proposal from the United Arab Emirates For the designation under the GIAHS Program of Al Ain and Liwa Historical Date Palm Oases Draft 7 January 2015 Al#Ain#and#Liwa#Historical#Date#Palm#Oases#5#UAE# 1# ! Table of Contents 1 Summary information.......................................................................................3 2 Description of the Agricultural Heritage System...........................................4 2.1 Geographic and socioeconomic context..................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Al Ain.................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 Liwa...................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Food and livelihood security ....................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Importance of dates in the economy of UAE........................................................ 8 2.2.2 Nutritional and culinary value of date palm fruits.................................................. 9 2.2.3 Medicinal effects of date consumption ................................................................. 9 2.2.4 Secondary traditional uses of date palm ............................................................ 10 2.2.5 Potential for non-traditional uses of date palm seeds ........................................ 10 2.3 Biodiversity and ecosystem function......................................................................... 11 2.3.1 Date palm genetic resources.............................................................................. 11 2.3.2 The diversity of date palm in Al Ain and Liwa..................................................... 11 2.3.3 Non-date agricultural biodiversity....................................................................... 13 2.3.4 Ecosystem services of date palm plantations .................................................... 14 2.4 Knowledge systems and adapted technologies........................................................ 14 2.4.1 Management of the oasis agro-ecosystem ........................................................ 14 2.4.2 Date palm ecological requirements.................................................................... 14 2.4.3 Date palm reproductive system and propagation............................................... 15 2.4.4 Date palm cultivation and crop management..................................................... 16 2.4.5 Date palm harvest and post-harvest knowledge ................................................ 18 2.5 Cultures, value systems and social organisations .................................................... 20 2.6 Aflaj irrigation systems in Al Ain................................................................................ 20 3 Historic relevance...........................................................................................22 3.1 History of Al Ain and Liwa......................................................................................... 22 3.2 The date palm and oasis livelihoods......................................................................... 23 3.3 History of aflaj irrigation systems .............................................................................. 24 3.4 Traditional Arish palm-leaf architecture .................................................................... 25 4 Contemporary relevance................................................................................27 4.1 The role and importance of agricultural production in Al Ain and Liwa..................... 27 4.2 Date consumption and dietary significance in UAE .................................................. 28 4.3 Date palm research and policies............................................................................... 29 5 Threats and challenges..................................................................................29 5.1 Urban development pressures.................................................................................. 29 5.2 Decline of the aflaj irrigation systems in Al Ain ......................................................... 30 5.3 Degradation of date palm plantations ....................................................................... 31 5.4 Threats to biodiversity............................................................................................... 31 5.4.1 Agricultural biodiversity ...................................................................................... 31 5.5 Loss of indigenous knowledge.................................................................................. 32 6 Dynamic conservation plan ...........................................................................32 6.1 Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 ............................................................................................. 32 6.1.1 Conservation plan for Al Ain oases .................................................................... 33 6.1.2 Conservation plan for Liwa (Plan Al Gharbia 2010) ........................................... 36 6.2 Sustainable water management ............................................................................... 36 6.3 Sustainable tourism .................................................................................................. 37 6.4 UNESCO designations of Al Ain............................................................................... 37 6.5 Awareness creation .................................................................................................. 38 6.5.1 Emirates International Date Palm Festival ......................................................... 38 6.5.2 Liwa Dates Festival ............................................................................................ 38 7 References ......................................................................................................39 8 Acronyms ........................................................................................................41 ! 1 Summary information Name of the Agricultural Heritage System: Al Ain and Liwa Historical Date Palm Oases Requesting Agency: Government of the United Arab Emirates Country/Location/Site: United Arab Emirates, Emirate of Abu Dhabi / Al Ain date palm oases (Al Ain, Hili, Al Qattara, Al Jimi, Al Mutaredh, Al Muwaiji, and Al Jahili) and Liwa date palm oasis and their surrounding areas, Al Ain and Al Gharbya Regions Accessibility of the site to capital city of major cities: The sites are situated 100-150 km from Abu Dhabi. Accessibility through modern multilane highways from Abu Dhabi, which enter the oases. Abstract 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. Located 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 Al#Ain#and#Liwa#Historical#Date#Palm#Oases#5#UAE# 3# ! City as well as their role in national branding and sustainable tourism, cannot be overstated. A very active and dynamic conservation program, seeking 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. 2 Description of the Agricultural Heritage System 2.1 Geographic and socioeconomic context 2.1.1 Al Ain In the desert enclave of Al Ain, which means “the spring” in Arabic, water underlies all forms of life, from date palms to camels, having been the source of life for more than 3000 years. Located some 160 km East of the city of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain covers a total area of 13,100 square km. Because of its extensive oases, tree-lines avenues and numerous parks, it is often referred to as the “the garden city”. Al Ain is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the fourth largest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a population of 400,000. It is also the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the UAE. An iconic feature of Al Ain City is its oases known for their date palm groves and falaj underground irrigation systems that bring water to farms and palm trees. Falaj irrigation is an ancient system dating back thousands of years. Al Ain has seven oases covering a total area of 350 ha. The largest is Al Ain Oasis, along with Al Qattara, Al Mutaredh, Al Jimi, Al Muwaiji, Al Hili and Al Jahili. Fig. 1 provides an overview on the location of Al Ain’s oases. They consist of privately- owned plots of densely planted date palm farms, reached via public pathways. Fig. 2 presents the distribution of land holdings within Al Jimi Oasis, exemplifying the typical size distribution