Ex situ conservation, enhancement and sustainable use of Pleurotus nebrodensis, a rare species, endemic to Sicily (southern Italy)

Pleurotus nebrodensis (Inzenga) Quél. is one of the rare examples of an endemic mushroom in Italy and at the European level. Previous studies have clarified the taxonomy of this taxon and the characteristics of its natural habitat [1, 2]. To safeguard the species, which is included in the EN (Endangered) category of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and among the TOP 50 Mediterranean Island Plants, in situ and ex situ conservation actions have been proposed since 2000. These actions are also among the recent activities in SPOKE 3 “From alpha-diversity to citizen science” of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and more specifically in Activity 3.2 “Assess and monitor endangered species/communities, as a consequence of climate change and anthropogenic perturbances”. In addition, in 2023, a project involving the cultivation of P. nebrodensis for food, medicinal and phytoiatric purposes was funded by the Region of Sicily under the 2014-2024 RDP Sicily. This project is aimed at ex situ cultivation of the rare mushroom in a protected environment. To date, in fact, this mushroom is only present in nature in small amounts and fruiting is gradually declining due to the increase in the number of mushroom hunters and changing climatic conditions that are seriously affecting the conservation of the species. The Research Centers (CORIBIA, CORERAS), the Bari “Aldo Moro University and 7 farms are participating in the project. In addition to the direct partnership, the project will be supported by external partners such as GAL ISC Madonie, restaurants and GDO.