The Delegation of Environment and Territorial Planning of the Junta de Andalucía in our province has authorised the collection of small quantities of mushrooms in the forest lands of the territory, so that in no case may they exceed five kilos per person per day and provided that the mushrooms are for self-consumption.
In order to control this mycological activity and to inform about the conditions under which it must be carried out, a special device has been put in place, made up of agents from the Environment, Seconded Police and Seprona, distributed throughout Los Filabres, Las Estancias, Sierra Nevada and Los Vélez.
The resolution published in the BOJA (Official Gazette of the Andalusian Regional Government) indicates that it is not necessary to request authorisation from the Territorial Delegation of the Environment and Territorial Planning to carry out this type of collection and establishes a series of guidelines to be followed; These include the fact that harvesting must not alter the surface layer of the soil, and therefore the use of tools such as rakes, hoes, hoes or other tools that remove the mulch from the soil, causing damage to the mycelium of the mushrooms, which would prevent the appearance of new specimens in the following seasons, is expressly forbidden.
The collection of unripe mushrooms is not allowed either, and therefore inedible mushrooms, those that are not known or are not going to be collected because they are in poor condition or are past their prime, must be respected, as all of them play a very useful ecological role.
The resolution also establishes the prohibition of picking mushrooms at night and, therefore, the use of torches or other sources of artificial light is not permitted. For the deposit of mushrooms, baskets or other transport elements must be used that allow for the aeration and dispersion of the spores.
In the case of mushroom picking in protected areas, the provisions of the resolution are in addition to their own specific regulations. It is not permitted to drive vehicles off-road, to disturb the fauna with noise or approaches, or to leave waste in the forest.