Climatic Factors Affecting Wild Mushroom Foraging in Central Europe

Abstract

Wild mushroom foraging has a long tradition in Central European countries. Protein from wild mushrooms is an important part of Central European diets and has served historically as a meat protein substitute. In view of climate change, this protein source may become scarce. This study investigated the effects of temperature and precipitation on wild mushrooms using the Dickey–Fuller test and ordinary least squares method. The results from the Czech Republic show that when the precipitation change was increased by one unit, the change in the amount of foraged mushrooms went up by twenty-seven tons, while the factor of temperature was found to be statistically insignificant. This indicates that with a decline in precipitation, possibly due to climate change, there will be a decline in the amount of wild mushrooms foraged.