Gastronomy meets nature positive through the conservation of invisible microbial terroir

Kohei Ito , Hiroshi Honda

Anthropogenic climate change and the expansion of mass-consumption societies pose existential threats to "microbial terroir", the cryptic microbiological assemblages that underpin the organoleptic identity and quality of traditional fermented foods. Here, we propose a framework that bridges microbial diversity, regional gastronomy, and "Microbial PES", an extension of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). We introduce the concept of "culture-positive", defined as a paradigm wherein the restoration of microbial diversity actively catalyzes the revitalization of regional culinary heritage. By systematically characterizing the microbial communities of production environments as quantifiable intangible assets, stakeholders can establish robust safeguards against environmental volatility, raw-material collapse, and disaster-induced interruption. We argue that linking microbial resource conservation to economic mechanisms, including premium pricing, place-based fiscal redistribution schemes, and coordinated policy roadmap, is essential for long-term sustainability. This Perspective advocates for the re-evaluation of gastronomy within the "nature-positive" agenda, necessitating proactive collaboration among policy-makers, research institutions, producers, and financial actors to preserve the world’s biocultural food diversity.