Interreg B-ice project: presentation of the ethnobotanic survey in Valmanenco

Within the Interreg Project Italy-Switzerland Bernina Terra Glacialis. Study and enhancement of a precious natural and cultural heritage in an open Alpin region, with innovative approaches to the future, it is planned to carry out an ethnobotanical investigation aimed at the study and enhancement of the plant and cultural biodiversity in Valmalenco (SO). The three-year project started in December 2018 and aimed to create a management model for the ongoing climate change. In this context, a precious heritage is represented by spontaneous plants. In the past, these species were used for human and animal health care, in the food sector, in cosmetics, for ritual purposes and manufacturing. This heritage of knowledge represents an important source for the local enhancement. Therefore, the project’s goal is to conduct an ethnobotanical research in the Unione dei Comuni della Valmalenco (Chiesa in Valmalenco, Caspoggio, Lanzada, Spriana, Torre di Santa Maria). The investigation involves the proposal of dedicated interviews to the local population, with special attention to the intergenerational comparison about the traditional uses of plant species. The research program is going to be based on a dual study approach, anthropocentric and phytocentric, and it is going to be organised in three phases: 1st year) census of the local flora, interviews and elaboration of the collected data; 2nd year) comparison of these information with scientific literature in order to validate or disprove the traditional uses and to highlight relevant local uses characteristics, with the subsequent selection of species of interest; 3rd year) creation of places for the transmission of the intergenerational knowledge, in which learned information will be useful to generate new involvement perspectives. Among the species of interest, we are going to select some target species in order to: a) cultivate some of them; b) realize a Botanic Garden with an educational-informative value in Sant’Antonio di Caspoggio; c) support the creation of shared Gardens in residential areas and individual homes. Return results by organizing different types of events will allow the local population to reach a wide knowledge concerning the native plant heritage and its potential for use. In this way, a greater awareness of the Valley’s cultural value will be assured, affecting positively the attractiveness of the territory and promoting a new form of tourism.