Strategies for the Valorisation of Chestnut Resources in Italian Mountainous Areas from a Sustainable Development Perspective

Abstract

The chestnut tree has characterised the social history of the Italian hills and mountains. However, in recent years, this resource has been abandoned because of the change in socio-economic needs. The aim of this study is twofold: (i) To give an overview of this resource, assessing the strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats of the chestnut tree through the use of the SWOT methodology; (ii) to provide action strategies for resource valorisation, in accordance with the SDGs set out in the UN 2030 Agenda, by using the TOWS methodology. Our results suggest four strategies, specifically; ‘resource-based’, ‘network-based’, ‘policy-based’ and ‘market-based’, capable of valorising the resource from environmental, economic and societal points of view. The active management of chestnut forests, together with the development of a value chain can guarantee sustainable production, technological and process innovation and could empower companies to face global markets in a more competitive way and lead to the creation of high value-added products, generating a strong economic and social engine for the revival of the sector. Moreover, the commitment of the private sector to the reorganisation of the supply chain must also be accompanied by coherent public policy action. This is essential for the adoption of plans and programmes consistent with sustainable development objectives, ensuring their prioritisation and implementation.

Civil society’s perception of forest ecosystem services. A case study in the Western Alps

“…In recent years, mountain forests have undergone transformation and expansion in terms of occupied area (Malandra et al, 2019;Garbarino et al, 2020) as a result of several factors, including socio-economic changes, such as industrialisation, urbanisation, and the consequent lower intensification of agricultural land use in mountains (Bruzzese et al, 2020), and political-legal factors, such as the introduction of natural constraints and the establishment of parks, protected areas and reserves (Tattoni et al, 2021).…”

A Multicriteria Analysis to Support Natural Resource Governance. The Case of Chestnut Forests

“…context. This work combines the AHP methodology with a previous SWOT study (Bruzzese et al, 2020) carried out in a similar context, resulting in a qualitative-quantitative study that falls under the A'WOT scheme.…”

“…Nowadays the resource is readily available (Mariotti et al, 2008) and civil society are very much aware of its uses and potentials (Manetti et al, 2017). However, apart from fruit, the only dynamic supply chains are tannin (Bruzzese et al, 2020) and, marginally, those for structural timber. In this context, in order to support the valorisation of chestnut supply chains, it is crucial that decision-making processes also consider the various environmental, social, economic, and political factors, both internal i.e.…”

“…The results obtained are measurable and allow prioritisation of the intervention factors identified in the SWOT (Varolgüneş et al, 2022). In this work, SWOT factors were taken from a previous study conducted by Bruzzese et al (2020) on the valorisation of the chestnut wood resource in the Italian context.…”

Willingness to pay for certified wooden products: a critical literature review

“…Due to the generally negative media coverage of logging, primarily involving the illegal timber trade, and the loss of forest due to extreme events, consumers' perceptions of logging are threatened, while one fifth of the world's forests are under-managed or not managed at all (Bruzzese et al, 2020). Consumers have developed a growing concern for sustainable forest management (Solomon et al, 2010); in particular, in Europe and North America young people between the ages of 18 and 35 are showing increased awareness towards the issue (Notaro & Paletto, 2021).…”