PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Truffles form part of the Mediterranean ecosystem, where nature and human beings have cohabited in harmony for centuries .The truffle is a fungus which lives in symbiosis with certain species of trees. The fungus and the tree interchange nutrients, water and materials produced through contact points called mycorrhizas among the filaments of the fungus and the roots of the tree. In Europe, they grow naturally in the wetter indigenous forests on calcareous soils throughout the Mediterranean region. This fungus, greatly appreciated around the world in haute cuisine, generally grows in forest areas with a low population density. Often these forests are abandoned or poorly managed, as they are not seen to offer direct economic benefits to their generally private proprietors. As a result, truffle-producing trees are often either cut down or used for firewood, often due to the profound lack of knowledge by their proprietor. This together with uncontrolled and improper harvesting of the truffles by collectors has resulted in a massive decline worldwide. In the light of this situation, a group of municipalities in the Northeast of Soria wished to take action to preserve their natural Holm Oak forests which act as a host to the sought-after Black Truffle (Tuber melanosporum vitt.) At the same time as they hoped to recover in some way the protective bond that had always existed between the local population and its environment.
OBJECTIVES
The main purpose of the project was to improve the production of truffles in natural Mediterranean forests and to promote a more adequate management of the forest by those involved in the truffle-production business. In this way, a more sustainable development of the area would be promoted based on the diversification of benefits from the Mediterranean Forest. The project would be carried out at the same time in 3 European areas :Soria, Castellon, and Piamonte in Italy and would develop the objectives through three main stages. The first would be based on creating the optimum environmental conditions for truffle cultivation in natural forest areas. Pilot demonstrations would be carried out using proven improvement techniques: including pruning, clearing and opening up corridors, controlled slow burning, irrigation, etc. The results in terms of the production of truffles and mychorrhizas would be closely monitored, before and after treatments. The second stage would aim to regulate the exploitative harvesting of the truffles, giving the proprietor and picker incentives to help in their necessary conservation. The project would attempt to establish a basis for sustainable management by encouraging the creation of Proprietor and Picker Associations and by establishing reserves, conditions for use and protective legislation. A final stage would promote awareness of the potential of this resource for the development of the whole area through dissemination activities.
RESULTS
The project went some way towards its objective of establishing a sustainable basis for the development of the truffle sector and for the preservation of its natural forest habitat. In the first phase, the project succeeded in demonstrating to key stakeholders the cost effectiveness of tried and tested techniques for preserving the woodland as a natural habit for truffle cultivation: through clearance and pruning to improve the growth rate of the woodland canopy, controlled burning to sterilize the soil and attract wild fauna to help natural spore dispersion, creating uniting corridors in the soil to unite productive zones and support root development, irrigation and limestone coverings to reduce water-loss and the construction of wooden fences to help control soil erosion. The monitoring of these tests showed the importance of the conservation of truffle-rich habitat for the maintenance of the diversity of Mediterranean forests. Moreover, some of the tests produced clear economic benefits even in the short term, producing costs of only a 1/3 of current expenditure. This helped to increase understanding and acceptance of the necessary conditions for a sustainable truffle harvest. In the second phase the project made substantial progress on the regulation of the collection by promoting the development of an Association for forest proprietors and another for truffle pickers with environmental objectives linked to the economic promotion of the sector. These groups were trained in appropriate means of management and exploitation, culminating in the drawing up of a draft decree to regulate and professionalize the sector. This decree included the development of a pickers license in return for the fulfillment of a series of technical conditions for picking: periodicity of gathering, minimum size of truffles, obligation to fill in hole etc. as well as guidelines on the method and system of picking. The dissemination of techniques and results amongst the main collectives and the general public have resulted in research into a quality label for the product and a greater bond between the local population and the forest. Finally, the project participated in a series of forums and conferences which led towards the creation of a Spanish Federation of truffle-pickers and cultivators and a European Truffle Group. The project went some way towards its objective of establishing a sustainable basis for the development of the truffle sector and for the preservation of its natural forest habitat. In the first phase, the project succeeded in demonstrating to key stakeholders the cost effectiveness of tried and tested techniques for preserving the woodland as a natural habit for truffle cultivation: through clearance and pruning to improve the growth rate of the woodland canopy, controlled burning to sterilize the soil and attract wild fauna to help natural spore dispersion, creating uniting corridors in the soil to unite productive zones and support root development, irrigation and limestone coverings to reduce water-loss and the construction of wooden fences to help control soil erosion. The monitoring of these tests showed the importance of the conservation of truffle-rich habitat for the maintenance of the diversity of Mediterranean forests. Moreover, some of the tests produced clear economic benefits even in the short term, producing costs of only a 1/3 of current expenditure. This helped to increase understanding and acceptance of the necessary conditions for a sustainable truffle harvest. In the second phase the project made substantial progress on the regulation of the collection by promoting the development of an Association for forest proprietors and another for truffle pickers with environmental objectives linked to the economic promotion of the sector. These groups were trained in appropriate means of management and exploitation, culminating in the drawing up of a draft decree to regulate and professionalize the sector. This decree included the development of a pickers license in return for the fulfillment of a series of technical conditions for picking: periodicity of gathering, minimum size of truffles, obligation to fill in hole etc. as well as guidelines on the method and system of picking. The dissemination of techniques and results amongst the main collectives and the general public have resulted in research into a quality label for the product and a greater bond between the local population and the forest. Finally, the project participated in a series of forums and conferences which led towards the creation of a Spanish Federation of truffle-pickers and cultivators and a European Truffle Group.
