Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant
black truffle harvesting is subject to property rights, but black truffles in Spain do experience poaching, as is the case with many non-timber Forest products located on private lands.
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
International external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details
The great majority of harvest is exported to France even nowadays, with Spanish harvesters frequently selling truffles in informal markets and truffles entering formal markets through traders
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
No
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is negatively affecting the status (e.g., population is declining; extraction effort is increasing)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Details of assessment carried out
sustainability of wild truffle use are reviewed. In the current scenario, the decline of wild harvest is likely to continue and eventually make commercial harvesting economically unattractive, thus aggravating sustainability issues.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
The European black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is the most prized wild edible fungus in some Mediterranean countries, yielding a multi-million euro industry in Spain; Boa (2004) pointed out that high prices in commercially- harvested epigeous fungi promote overexploitation.
Private harvesters have no incentive to avoid overharvesting, being that future availability of truffles will be decided on an auction based solely on the economic bid; As a result of decline in productivity, forests become economically unattractive to private harvesters, with municipality councils offering the floor price in auctions.
In a business-as-usual scenario the decline of wild black truffle harvest is likely to continue and eventually make commercial harvesting economically unattractive.
Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Strong community governance/institutions/rights for wildlife management
Absent
Supportive policy and legislative framework
Absent
Adequate capacity to implement and enforce governance arrangements
Absent
Good alignment of legal protections with local cultural values and traditional
Absent
Support from NGOs
Absent
Support from Government
Absent
High financial returns from use
Present
Abundant population of target species
Absent
Biological characteristics of target species
Absent
Capacity building of community
Absent
Establishment and implementation of species and/or area management plan
Absent
Effective private sector approach engagement through certification
Garcia-Barreda, S., Forcadell, R., Sánchez, S. et al. Black Truffle Harvesting in Spanish Forests: Trends, Current Policies and Practices, and Implications on its Sustainability. Environmental Management 61, 535–544 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0973-6
Wild black truffle population appear to be decreasing aver the study period: 1969 to 2013.