EXTERNALITIES AS A BASIS FOR ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF WILD FRUITS

Abstract

Regardless of their type, or whether they are higher (vascular) plants or fungi, wild fruits used for human nutrition have other indirect values besides of their market value. This value is commonly characterised under the term ”ecosystem values”. Such a characteristic is mostly based on the fact that this group of fungi and plants are naturally grown, man does not cultivate or process them, but is only involved in the process of their collection. In this respect, there is a need for constructing models and techniques for their economic evaluation, which is different from the product market values, or market values solely based on the supply and demand relation of certain products. Wild fruits belong to the group of renewable natural resources which represent part of the biological funds and according to their location they are usually placed in the group of "public goods", thus their exploitation is causing series of external effects (externalities). For this purpose, it is necessary to identify and specify these externalities in order to create an efficient system for management and protection of these resources. The aim of this paper is to analyze the theoretical concepts and methods that can provide base for building a system for sustainable use of wild fruits. Additional contribution will be provided in form of directions for their efficient management on the basis of theoretically and practically sublimated best practices.