The cross-border GESTES project, focused on the sustainable management of wild aromatic and medicinal species, held its fourth follow-up meeting from October 7 to 9 at the La Garcipollera Experimental Farm in Bescós (Huesca). The six partner entities of the project, including the Agricultural Research and Technology Center of Aragon (CITA), presented the progress and results achieved since the project’s inception in early 2024.
During the meeting, a report was presented that had been prepared in recent months on the commercial circuits and value chains of five key species distributed across three regions: valerian and rock tea in Aragon, bearberry and mastic in Catalonia, and rhodiola in the Eastern Pyrenees. The study reveals that valerian and rhodiola stand out due to their international demand in the medicinal sector, while mastic has widespread ornamental use but is affected by labor instability. Bearberry faces stagnation in demand and a lack of generational renewal, and rock tea remains focused locally with strong cultural ties but lacks large-scale commercial structure.
The analysis also highlights significant differences in the professionalization of the value chains. Valerian has a mixed model of cultivation and wild harvesting, while species like mastic and rhodiola show more opaque models with a lack of traceability. The study emphasizes the precarious nature of the harvesting work, where many gatherers work without contracts and under unfavorable conditions.
Monitoring of the planted crops is underway, following cultivation and harvesting protocols. The first species to be harvested will be Valeriana officinalis in the autumn of 2025.
The GESTES project aims to promote protection and biodiversity by reconciling the preservation of aromatic and medicinal species and the natural spaces where they grow with the commercial exploitation of wild resources in the participating regions: Aragon, Catalonia, High Pyrenees, Eastern Pyrenees, and Arriège. It is coordinated by the Catalan Forest Science and Technology Center and involves the National Botanic Conservatory of the Pyrenees and Midi-Pyrénées, the Regional Natural Park of the Catalan Pyrenees, the Interprofessional Technical Institute of Perfumery, Medicinal, Aromatic and Industrial Plants, the Ariège-Comminges Vocational Training and Agricultural Promotion Center, and CITA. It has been co-financed at 65% by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG VI-A Spain-France-Andorra (POCTEFA) Program 2021-2027, with a total budget of €1,135,958.19.
