The Land Stewardship Association Papacría has asked the Cabildo de Lanzarote to create and regulate through a license the collection of desert truffle, also known as papacría (Terfezia canariensis). This measure is requested after the collective has detected "the degradation suffered by various areas of the island territory, especially jable areas, due to its unregulated harvesting".
The Papacría collective has pointed out that these fungi, which usually appear especially in spring thanks to climatic conditions, have "high ecological and cultural value", since the population has traditionally accessed them punctually and respectfully, when conditions have been favorable.
“However, in recent years there has been a growing massification in its search, driven in part by social media dissemination and the amplifying effect they generate, causing pressure dynamics on the territory clearly detrimental to the natural environment, without adequate criteria for mushroom management or respect for the fragility of the ecosystems where it develops”, they have pointed out.
Only for self-consumption and daily maximum
The collective recommends that a specific regulatory framework be enabled for the collection of papacría in Lanzarote, which includes a license for recreational collection for residents intended for self-consumption and the establishment of a maximum daily limit of collection per person.
Also the strict prohibition of the use of hoes, picks and tillage tools versus the use of a spike or small knife, and the obligation to replace the soil and close the hole immediately after extraction, in order to protect the fungus's mycelium and the roots of the host plant (Helianthemum canariense).
Likewise, they have proposed the use of aerated containers or non-plastic baskets that allow spore dispersal during transport, as established by other mycological management models, and the prohibition of collection in Protected Natural Areas and sensitive areas for avifauna.
Regarding training and awareness actions, the environmental association is in favor of offering talks on good environmental practices as a requirement for obtaining a license, as well as implementing informative actions aimed at the restaurant sector, with the aim of promoting responsible consumption and avoiding pressure on the species.
The Papacría association invites other ecological and environmental entities to join this awareness campaign. “We are aware that the massive collection of the fungus and the associated ecosystem damage are an issue that concerns other groups; through unity and coordinated work, we will be able to reach more
consciences and change these very damaging practices,” they have declared.