The Inclusion of Apulian Olive Grove in UNESCO as Guarantors of the Mediterranean Diet

: Humanity continues to show the need to preserve the results of its activities and the natural environment. Most of them have been collected in the socalled ‘cultural heritage’, which UNESCO recognizes as fundamental for the balanced interaction between humans and nature. The heritage is intended as universal and needs the commitment of State Parties, which will be responsible for their conservation. Especially the intangible ones, which undergo more risks, need a deeper analysis of a demanding commitment. One of these, the Mediterranean Diet (MD), strongly representing Italian culture, goes beyond the culinary concept and implies the conservation and respect of the primary products that compose it. Considering MD’s staple food, Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil (EVOO), our research focuses on the role of olive groves as guarantors of the intangible heritage, whose protection can be undertaken through the production of olive oil and the preservation of ancient olive groves. For a decade, olive trees have been facing a dramatic exsiccation due to the Xylella fastidiosa. In the long run, a decline in olive trees could undermine the uniqueness of EVOO and, consequently, negatively affect the MD. By using a holistic approach, we analyse the link between olive tree and MD by considering the Apulia region, which is well-known for its high-quality olive oil production and ancient olive groves. We conclude that Apulian olive trees are fundamental for the MD and, thus, could be an optimal instrumental tool for the preservation of the intangible heritage. Meanwhile, we deem it necessary to implement the quality of regional data, which are currently unrepresentative of the territory’s variety heterogeneity.