Project PyCup: responsible practices for professional picking. An example of sustainable supply in AMP value chain

The PyCuP project is supporting the Pyrenean stakeholders in their reflexion and efforts toward a regulation of picking practices, for a sustainable valuation of the local wild plant resources. It aims at answering the main questions of the public about the role of such activities in a “wild mountain”. Therefore, the project creates awareness about the issues of these natural resources’ exploitation.

Three species are especially studied through the PyCuP project (2019-2021) because of their specific natural habitats: great yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea L.), arnica (Arnica montana L.) and wild garlic (Allium ursinum L.). Being sought out by growing industrial markets, the picking of these limited resources has to be regulated. The project thus meets the high expectations of communities and owners, natural areas managers (sustainable and concerted management), administrations (regulation, conflict resolution) and professionals themselves (practice conditions).

Raphaële Garreta, raphaele.garreta@cbnpmp.fr, http://www.cbnpmp.fr/

Raphaël Bec, raphael.bec@cnpf.fr, https://occitanie.cnpf.fr/

Cambecèdes J., Garreta R., 2018 - « The harvesting of wild plants: exploitation of natural resources and conservation of a natural heritage »,  Actes du 2ème Colloque International sur les Ressources Sylvopastorales et le Développement Durable en Méditerranée, 17-20 octobre 2017, Tabarka (Tunisie), in Journal of new sciences, Agriculture and Biotechnologie, CIRS (13), pp. 3355-3365

http://www.jnsciences.org/agri-biotech/77-volume-spécial-conférence-cirs-2017/483-the-harvesting-of-wild-plants-exploitation-of-natural-resources-and-conservation

Cambecèdes J., Garreta R., Gire L., Morisson B., Garcia J., Durand B., 2018 – Exploiter et préserver. Vers un plan de gestion durable de la gentiane jaune dans les Pyrénées, CBNPMP, rapport ValuePAM, 112 p.

Garreta R., Lavabre M. et Morisson B., 2017- Dires et gestes de cueilleurs. Une enquête ethnographique auprès de cueilleurs professionnels. Trois cueillettes : Arnica, Thé d’Aubrac et Gentiane jaune. Conservatoire botanique national des Pyrénées et Midi-Pyrénées, Petit objet multimédia en ligne (https://cbnpmp.fr/gestes-et-dires-de-cueilleurs), 21'47.

Jenkins M., Timoshina A., Cornthwaite M., 2018 – Wild at home : Exploring the global harvest, trade and use of wild plants ingredients, 44p.

Piana M., 2020 - Mise en place de l’évaluation des risques encourus par l’Ail des ours face à la cueillette sur le territoire pyrénéen, mémoire de Master 2 Bio GET, Université de Montpellier, CBNPMP, 64 p.