MicoValdorba

Objective

MicoValdorba project aims to establish a sustainable, integrated management system for the county of Valdorva, promoting the best use of mycological resources while ensuring the conservation and enhancement of the producing ecosystems’ biodiversity.

Description

Micovaldorba is the Acronym of a LIFE-Environment project called “Development and implementation of an integrated system for the sustainable management of wild fungus-producing forest ecosystems in Valdorva, Navarra”. The project duration is 36 months. Project start date was 3/9/2001 and will finish at 3/9/2004.

The project will set up the vertical integration and participation of the various socio-economic sectors involved in sustainable development of the mushroom resource: the rural population, processing industry, tourism, and the forestry sector, contributing to a higher valuation of the fungus-producing ecosystems.

Regulatory systems will be developed established to protect the fungi and their natural habitats, and to ensure proper harvest from the site.

Description of the phases

1. Socio-economic analysis: Surveys to all the agents involved: collectors, intermediaries, packers, hostelry. The aim is to obtain accurate information on the functioning and understanding of the resource and of its socio-economic dynamic. Sociological studies prior to the start of actions such as this have been carried out in very few forest projects.

2. Inventory of producing forest areas: To be carried out by specialist technicians with the help of contracted collectors. It will be carried out from the base of the Navarra digitised forest map, enriched with additional information on ecological, silvicultural, micological and dasometric parameters.

3. Monitoring of production: Monitoring of the harvest and collection via experimental and statistical methods and plot monitoring.

4. Ecological characterisation of the main fungus species and their producing ecosystems: Determination of the ecological parameters using dasometric and statistical techniques and plot analysis. Definition of the ecological parameters: precipitation, temperature, altitude, orientation, slopes, arboreal density, tree ages, coverage percentage, presence and abundance of understorey.

5. Thematic cartography: Creation of cartography to show productivity by species in the territory of Valdorba, which will serve later as a management and analysis tool.

6. Sustainable management tools: Creation of a sustainable management manual, setting up and carrying out of technical plans and general planning in the producing areas, silvicultural activities in the producing areas.

7. Sustainable management models: This involves the setting up and carrying out of activities on the mountain areas which are owned by local bodies, respecting at all times the principles of multifunctionality and sustainability. The encouragement of sustainable models will bring with it an increase in income for the rural nuclei in the collection areas and a better valuation and integration of the human population with the environment.

8. Lines of action on encouraging the sector: Establish the bases for actions to improve end ensure the system: ecological certification, dissemination, local regulation and grants and promotion of “mycotourism”.