WHAT IS FUNGIVERSO?
Background
Aragón has 2.2 million hectares of mushroom-producing land, with over 50% of the rural population involved in harvesting and a growing mycotourism sector that generates more than 40% of the resource's value. This mycological heritage represents a Nature-Based Solution to address societal challenges such as climate change, demographic shifts, and the conservation of habitats that provide these ecosystem services. However, less than 2% of this productive area is transitioning to sustainable mycological management and valorization. The lack of sector coordination, demographic challenges, and disconnect with scientific research hinder innovation and the integration of mycological resources into forest management. Additionally, climate change threatens the resilience of these productive habitats, making the implementation of adaptation measures urgent.
Strategic Importance
FUNGIVERSO will promote mycosilviculture, enhancing the resilience of habitats against global change, minimizing wildfire risks, and conserving fungal genetic resources. Additionally, FUNGIVERSO will address demographic challenges by improving the quality of mycotourism in rural areas and mentoring the co-creation of new sustainable and inclusive business models based on fungal diversity (mycomaterials, alternative mycoproteins, nutraceuticals, cultivation of local strains, etc.). Finally, FUNGIVERSO will leverage the potential of citizen science (Living Labs) to facilitate sector and user participation in co-innovation and scientific knowledge generation, while contributing to the exchange of best practices and raising social awareness through the organization of specific events and communication campaigns.
Goals
The main objective of FUNGIVERSO is to contribute to the conservation, management, resilience, and valorization of habitats producing mycological resources in the face of global change and demographic challenges.
Actions
- A1 - Project coordination, communication and dissemination.
- A2 - Vertebration of forest owners and managers under the figure of the network of Mycological Parks of Aragon.
- A3 - Implementation and improvement of a perennial process for sustainable and inclusive harvesting compatible with mycotourism in the Mycological Parks.
- A4 - Application of mycoforestry in the Mycological Parks prioritizing vulnerable areas and conservation of genetic resources.
- A5 - Support to entrepreneurs for the generation of business models based on mycological resources.
- A6 - Organisation of meetings for the exchange of good forest management practices, training and mycological co-innovation with all actors in the sector (Living-Lab Fungiverse environment).
