An interregional workshop on “Wild harvested nuts and berries in time of new pests, diseases and climate change”, brought together stakeholders from Spain, Portugal, France and Turkey. The workshop focussed on two esteemed and emblematic Mediterranean nuts, chestnuts and pine nuts, which are both highly valued for their contribution to economic development and cultural heritage of rural forest-dominated areas around the Mediterranean.
The workshop, held in Palencia, Spain on 12-14 June 2019, took place in the framework of The European Thematic Network INCREDIBLE on Non-Wood Products from Mediterranean forests and was hosted by the iuFOR, the Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute of the University Valladolid and INIA.
The focus of the meeting was the presentation and discussion of the current challenges which exotic pests, diseases and climate change are putting on chestnut and pine nut production, both from forests and orchards. Participants also shared good practices and remedies applied in other regions, countries or supply chains.
In both cases, participants concluded that the serious threads introduced by harmful exotic organisms have put an end to traditional methods of collecting yield from forests or orchards without active management and mitigation measures. Innovation is required to ensure that the supply of these gourmet products continues.
