Beyond traditional forestry: tastes of sustainable forests
As the second day of PEFC’s 2015 Forest Certification Week came to a close, wild foods from Spanish forests took center stage as PEFC Spain showcased their innovative “Tastes of Sustainable Forests” project.
Beyond traditional forestry: tastes of sustainable forests
9 December 2015 News
As the second day of PEFC’s 2015 Forest Certification Week came to a close, wild foods from Spanish forests took center stage as PEFC Spain showcased their innovative “Tastes of Sustainable Forests” project.
“Though this project we could depict the forest from a fresh angle, highlighting its flavors and its aromas, valuing its role within the bio-economy and all the resources it provides us with,” said Ana Belen Noriega, National Secretary of PEFC Spain. “We believe that forests have to be regarded from a holistic point of view by taking into account the whole range of products and services that these ecosystems provide.”
This project, supported by PEFC’s Collaboration Fund, started back in 2012 with the aim of promoting PEFC-certified wild food products within the Spanish food industry. Since then, PEFC Spain has teamed up with renowned chef Charo Val, to produce an award winning recipe book with appearances on TV and cooking demonstrations across the country.
“When we started this project three years ago we wanted to expand our dialogue with stakeholders, from public institutions to private business, including new major prescribers to PEFC-certified products such as leading Spanish chefs,” continued Ms. Noriega. “What we have achieved with this project is to promote the multifunctional management of forests by broadening the range of products to be considered, such as pinenuts, chestnuts, Iberian ham, mushrooms, truffles, cork and biomass.”
“The so-called 'non-wood forest products' (NWFP) offer significant contributions to the livelihoods, culture and traditions of local communities,” commented Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International.
“We are thrilled by the success of PEFC Spain to not only highlight that utilization of NWFPs can greatly extend the range of benefits that forests provide, but also that it allows us to raise the awareness of the importance of sustainable forest management with a new important set of people – with chefs, with restaurants, and all of their respective customers.”
Find out more
- Tastes of Sustainable Forests project page
- Visit the special section of the PEFC Spain website where you can find more information about the project and all the project materials (in Spanish)
- Watch the videos on the project YouTube channel (selected videos with English subtitles)
All photographs by Jorge Romero (JRPD).