Switzerland's new regulations for mushroom foragers

Enthusiastic mushroom foragers like to gather near Les Mosses in the Swiss mountains near Montreux. "The pandemic brought people back to the forest," says Jean-Michel Froidevaux, chairman of Switzerland's mushroom association, WAPKO, which regularly organizes training courses for mushroom foragers and checks whether the mushrooms collected are edible.

Picking rare or protected mushroom species is generally strictly prohibited as many of them are protected species. Therefore, it is particularly important for Swiss foragers to research the different species before setting off into the forest to pick mushrooms.

After the search, all the collected mushrooms are carefully sorted and inspected. Because of the increasing interest, VAPKO has added additional courses to its program. "During the training courses and mushroom inspections, we saw many people who knew nothing about mushrooms," said Jean-Michel Froidevaux during a five-day workshop.

The growing enthusiasm for collecting mushrooms has raised concerns that foraging could negatively impact biodiversity. At the same time, there is a growing awareness of the role of fungi in the forest ecosystem. With their ability to decompose dead organic material and supply trees with water and nutrients, they are considered indispensable pillars of the forest.

The vital role of mushrooms is to be discussed at the UN Conference on Biological Diversity (COP16), which is taking place in Colombia until November 1. In Switzerland, regulations on the number of mushroom collecting days and the permitted quantity were already in place in several areas before the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulations have now been tightened.

Vaud, a canton in western Switzerland, introduced new measures in July to preserve nature there. No more than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of mushrooms may be collected per day, with foraging prohibited during the first seven days of each month and otherwise only permitted between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm.

For some mushroom experts, the restrictions are a step in the right direction to promote respect for nature. However, Jean-Michel Froidevaux described the seven-day ban as "difficult to understand." He pointed out that a 30-year study by the Swiss Federal Research Institute showed that foraging does not affect the quantity or variety of mushrooms.

Pro Natura, Switzerland's oldest nature conservation organization, also warned that the influx of people into the landscape can have consequences for ecosystems, such as trampled vegetation, disturbed wildlife or over-exploited resources such as mushrooms. However, they are more concerned about sporting activities that require infrastructure renewal.