ABSTRACT
Forest berries, mushrooms, and wild herbs are popular non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Finland, where more than 60% of the population collects these products at least once a year for recreation, household use, or additional income. Nevertheless, they are considered marginal to the country’s bioeconomy, despite their potential use in products with high added value. Such value addition would demand a constant and secure supply of NTFP raw materials to processing industries and end-users. The challenge is to increase the efficiency of the commercial utilisation of NTFP raw material resources. This chapter presents several already developed and available citizen science and GIS-based approaches and tools aiming for more effective wild berry foraging in Finland. We propose that such approaches can be powerful technological tools for managing berry yields and harvests. Improved harvest management will increase the availability and business potential of NTFPs, which will further promote their utilisation and commercialisation, increasing their economic value, and supporting the transition to a bioeconomy.
