There is absolutely no harm in people picking mushrooms, chestnuts, nuts, berries and blackberries in the forest. That says fungus expert and wild picker Jip Leermakers (25) from Uden, who introduces people to the forest. Forest ranger Erik de Jonge said on Monday that he is concerned about the amount of people who come to collect chestnuts in the forest. The animals then no longer have a winter supply of food.
“Foresters have the difficult task of making everyone respect nature. I understand their concerns, not everything has to be taken. But it’s not so black and white. You have to be able to take something from nature with you,” says Leermakers. He regularly takes people in tow to look for mushrooms.
“We don’t have enough nature to pick wild.”
Nature, people and food production can go hand in hand, he says. “If you get something in the supermarket, for example mushrooms, that is much more harmful in terms of emissions and pesticides than if you get something from nature. We also don’t have too many wild pickers in the Netherlands. We don’t have enough nature to pick wild.”
So don’t just focus on the forests, he advises wild pickers. “You can also go outside the forests and vulnerable nature. Think of parks and old city avenues.”
“Leave something for other people and for the animals too.”
And don’t empty everything, he says. People are currently removing hundreds of kilos of chestnuts, according to forest ranger De Jonge. Picking a handful is allowed by the forester. Teachers agree.
“The forest is not a supermarket, which is immediately replenished the same evening by a stock filler. People have no sense of a good balance. They need to learn how to pick wild game responsibly. Also leave something for other people and for the animals.”
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