INCREDIBLE promotes the implementation of the strategy for sustainable truffle management in Varaždin (Croatia)

Croatian Forest Research Institute (CFRI) has celebrated an on-line Science to Practice meeting addressed to gather ideas from stakeholders that will be useful as a starting point for future strategic documents with the topic of sustainable truffle management.

The event, an on-line consultation, was held (in two phases) from 1st May to 30th June and around 20 attendees expressed their ideas and comments on the draft prepared in advance by CFRI. Private forest owners, truffle pickers, R&D, government representatives and SME's involved in this Science to Practice event.

The outputs of this series of virtual meetings will be part of the Strategy of sustainable truffle management of Varaždin County, Croatia. After this work, CFRI will develop the strategy of sustainable truffle management for this county, in partnership with Varaždin region. The meeting was intended for all the relevant stakeholders and decision makers of the region, where scientists from CFRI proposed a draft version of the strategy.

What was the purpose of this Science to Practice?

With the beginning of the systematic research of underground mushrooms conducted by the Croatian Forestry Institute in the area of Varaždin County, numerous finds of commercial species of truffles, as well as other underground mushrooms, were noticed. Due to the discovery of commercial species of truffles in different habitats, the need for systematic management of underground fungi arrised. In order for Varaždin County to be able to develop a quality Truffle Strategy, it was necessary to consult the interested stakeholders. All the ideas were collected inside a single document that will serve as a starting point for future strategic documents.

In order to facilitate the process of public consultation in the new conditions of social distancing caused by the COVID-19 virus, the Croatian Forestry Institute, as part of the Incredible Horizon2020 project, announced a public consultation that was open from 01.05.2020. to 30.06.2020 on the website https://www.sumins.hr/strategijavz/.