Difference between revisions of "Mushroom picking license"

Description

Brief description of the instrument and its modus operandi

The provincial mushroom law has been scale up at national level. The law stated that any non-provincial dweller has to pay an permit fee, while the provincial dwellers can pick for free. The provincial authority has the right to set up the number of picking permits per each season. The money got with the tool are used by the province for forest works; the municipalities can claim part of the money according to the forest surface within its administrative area. A private forest owner can claim as well the money if and only if he/she own more that 100 Ha (they are very few).

Which problem the instrument is supposed to solve?

The main problem is related to the control and the persistence of free-riders. For instance in Alto Adige (northern province of Trentino Alto Adige) forest guards gave 48.000€ of finein 2012, while in the 94 it was recorded 180.000€ (converted from lire to Euro); the decrement is due to also a sensibilization on the issue and the direct control of local on their resources, but still the most challenging issue for the policy makers.

Purpose or main objective / overall goal of the instrument?

Payment for recreational activity in forest that concern the collection of a “forest dependent” product: the wild mushrooms.

Side objectives/goals of the instrument?

Reduce the congestion of an over-demand recreational activity, today a fashion, rather then a traditional behaviour. In the past, wild mushrooms were collected by farmers and sold dried to the traders. With the globalization of the market and the welfare

Innovation content or potential of the instrument?

Creation of a new economic activity on local forest sector. Potentially it might evolve in a tool where the picker pays directly the small forest owner (with size below the 100 ha) or a deputed agency in behalf of the small forest owner. Today the beneficieries of the payment have to have at least 100 ha or they have to be public forest owners.

Which laws and regulations support the implement of this instrument?

The province of Trento implemented this tool through the Provincial Law 16/91 and the Province of Alto Adige through the Provincial Law 18/91. After a set of modification they (both) conside the private forest owner a beneficiary of the tool (Trento Provincial Law 23-25/2009; Alto Adige Provincial Law 6/2010).

The initiator/promoter of the instrument?

the promoter was the state and provincial authority together with the mycological association at national level.

Which organizations are involved in the operationalization of the instrument?

The main actor mentioned in the law are divided in three group: a) the manager/beneficiaries of the wild mushrooms resources that sell the permits to pick (province, municipalities, parks, forest owner with more 100ha or forest land owner association with

What roles do these organisation play in each of them?

The manager/beneficiaries of the instrument can define harvesting limits and constraints or set up the picking permits price.

How the monitoring is ensured?

the forest guard has to control the pickers in the forest

How the compliance is ensured?

through the direct control in the forest especially in the parkign places.

How is the overall performance of the instrument?

it depends on the effort of the local instrument manager/beneficiary. The net income (income from picking permit selling minus the control costs, management cost, tool cost and bureaucracy) may vary from 20 to 60% of the gross income.

References

Oral communication with the forest plan office

Brief description of the context for the emergence of the instrument

There were too much congestion on the wild mushroom picking as recreational activity. The introduction of a market based mechanism reduced.

Have any of the items mentioned above changed since the instrument entered into force?

No

Is there any qualitative or quantitative study of the impacts of the instrument?