A methodological framework for identifying traditional rural landscapes based on environmental, cultural, and socio-economic indicators - the case study of China

Traditional rural landscapes are multifunctional systems that represent examples of sustainable rural practices and development. This study developed a methodological framework for their identification at the national scale, based on high-resolution spatial analyses of different indicators of environmental, cultural, and socio-economic types. The methodology has been applied to the entire territory of China and then validated. Results demonstrate that China has a great potential regarding the presence of traditional landscapes. Traditional agricultural landscapes are more common in the east, scattered among intensive agricultural systems. Hotspots for traditional forest landscapes are located in Northeastern China and in the south. Traditional pastoral landscapes are instead related to extensive grazing and to sparsely populated areas. The strong correlation between the results of this study and the spatial distribution of the 188 NIAHS demonstrate the validity and reliability of the proposed methodological framework. This study provides high-resolution spatial data that can be used by different stakeholders involved in landscape management, conservation, and valorisation. The proposed framework can also be replicated and tested in different countries, for the development of national identification and conservation programmes, or for the selection of traditional cultural landscapes to be proposed for international programmes, such as the FAO GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) Programme, or the UNESCO World Heritage List.