Climatic and Socioeconomic Aspects of Mushrooms: The Case of Spain

Emilio Martínez-Ibarra, María Belén Gómez-Martín and Xosé Anton Armesto-López
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Emilio Martínez-Ibarra: Departamento de Análisis Geográfico Regional y Geografía Física, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
María Belén Gómez-Martín: Departamento de Geografía Física y Análisis Geográfico Regional, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat Barcelona, Carrer de Montalegre, 6-8, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Xosé Anton Armesto-López: Departamento de Geografía Física y Análisis Geográfico Regional, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat Barcelona, Carrer de Montalegre, 6-8, 08001 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Fungi are some of the most diverse organisms on earth and since prehistoric times have played an important role in human society. In recent years they have become a strategic asset not only in the conservation and management of ecosystems but also as a resource for halting the exodus from rural areas in peripheral Mediterranean regions, such as inland eastern Spain. In view of this important ecological and socioeconomic role, in this paper we present a geographical analysis of edible fungi, paying particular attention to the Spanish case. To this end we carried out a bibliographic review of the climatic factors affecting the fruiting of these fungi and the socioeconomic aspects of their commercial exploitation. We also performed an online search for mycotourism-related activities and explored the statistical data on the cultivation of edible mushrooms and its economic impact. Our main findings include a synthesis of the international research on the effects of climatic variability on the natural production of macrofungi, and an assessment of the economic viability and the social importance of mushrooms in Spain, in particular in relation to the current and future potential of mushroom cultivation and the multifunctional management and use of forests.

Keywords: edible mushroom cultivation; environmental factors; Spain; sustainable rural development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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