Wild edible plants in gourmet offer of ecotourism destinations: Case from biosphere reserve "Golija-Studenica"

Abstract

Closely related to traditional agriculture consumption of wild plants it significantly contributes to the existence of the human species. The aim of this paper is to determine the value of ethnobotanical parameters (RFC, CI, CV) for the most important species that participate in creating the gastronomic offer of ecotourism destinations. The research was conducted in the area of the Biosphere Reserve (BR) "Golija-Studenica" as one of the attractive ecotourism destinations and sites with a high degree of biodiversity. As part of the site visit and research, during the period 2018-2020, the authors used the ethnobotanical questionnaire to quantify and determine the value of each individual species that plays a role in local traditional gastronomy, and today is part of the tourist offer. The results indicate the existence of a culture of using natural resources and a high degree of use of wild species in traditional recipes. Among the most exploited species, wild berries like blueberries stand out, but some species of mushrooms.