UNESCO has formally recognized the Traditional High-Altitude Terraced Apple-Orchards of the Almaty Region in Kazakhstan as a World Heritage site. This designation celebrates the region as the genetic birthplace of the global domestic apple, Malus domestica, and honors the ancient grafting and irrigation techniques developed by nomadic and semi-sedentary communities over two millennia.
The site includes thousands of hectares of wild forests and ancient terraced cultivation zones located on the slopes of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains. These orchards represent a unique bio-cultural landscape where traditional ecological knowledge has preserved rare genetic diversity against environmental shifts. UNESCO officials noted that the site provides a critical model for agricultural resilience in the face of modern climate instability.