Biocultural Diversity at Risk Amidst and Beyond Overtourism: The Decline in Wild Green Foraging in Corfu over the Past 50 Years

Mousaab Alrhmoun (), Naji Sulaiman (), Irfan Ullah, Renata Sõukand () and Andrea Pieroni
Additional contact information
Mousaab Alrhmoun: University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
Naji Sulaiman: University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
Irfan Ullah: Department of Molecular Wood Biotechnology and Technical Mycology, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Renata Sõukand: Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics, and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30174 Venezia, Italy
Andrea Pieroni: University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: This study focuses on the interplay between ecological, demographic, and developmental factors while examining the changes in wild greens (WGs) uses in Corfu from 1970 to 2024. A comparative analysis of historical and contemporary datasets reveals a decline in WG species from 58 (belonging to 47 genera and 18 families) in 1971 to 42 species (37 genera, 16 families) in 2024. The reduction in cropland and, therefore, the herbaceous vegetation has significantly contributed to this loss, alongside urbanisation, demographic shifts, and the rise of tourism-driven economies. Changes in climatic factors, like a 1.5 °C increase in temperature and reduced rainfall, further affect plant biodiversity. Shifts in the occupations of local populations (from farming to touristic services), the declining role of women-centred foraging, and the pervasive influence of formal botanical education may have altered the cultural landscape of WG use. This study underlines the urgent need to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into conservation strategies to mitigate biodiversity loss and sustain cultural heritage.

Keywords: wild greens; ethnobotany; land use change; traditional ecological knowledge; climate change; urbanisation; Corfu; Mediterranean; overtourism; historical ethnobotany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/654/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/654/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:3:p:654-:d:1616217

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().