The exceptional plant, animal and cultural diversity of Pakistani oases is rooted in their complex social-ecological systemsSocial-ecological system shaped by millennia of cultural interactions and environmental adaptations. This chapter justifies the concept of combining two contrasting knowledge systems, the ancient tradition of tale telling and modern empirical agro-ecological research. Both bear witness of Pakistan’s rich (bio-)diversity that has evolved under highly diverse local conditions. Despite their marginal economic roles today, rural oasisOasis systems in Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains and the lowlands of the CholistanCholistan Desert are refuges of agricultural heritageAgricultural heritage, retaining traditional knowledge, genetic diversityGenetic diversity and land-use practices. The collected folk tales, categorized into historic accounts, traditional customs and mystical narratives, echo the harsh realities of life in seismically and climatically extreme and politically highly contested environments; they reflect moral values, survival strategies and rapidly vanishing social cohesion. The cultural position of both regions at the ancient crossroads of civilizations is mirrored in multiple ways. While the sophisticated systems of gravity-fed irrigationIrrigation and integrated agro-pastoralismAgro-Pastoralism are paralleled by those in Arabic Spain and in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, some tales reflect Eurasian oral traditions. As such, both oasisOasis systems and oral traditions are invaluable resources for understanding and preserving Pakistan’s biocultural legacy in the face of global change.