Valeriana celtica subsp. norica – Sustainable and equitable use of an endemic plant in the Salzburger Lungau & Kärntner Nockberge UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: co-creating a historical review, analyzing the status and co-creating future perspectives

The Noric Speik (Valeriana celtica subsp. norica) is endemic to the region of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Salzburg Lungau & Carinthian Nockberge. As a crop, the speik has historically been of great economic importance for the region. Today, there are strict nature conservation requirements combined with industrial use. This raises a number of questions about sustainable development, such as decision-making on access to natural resources or the balance between protection and use. In our inter- and transdisciplinary research project, we address questions of sustainable use of the Speik by bringing together historical sources, the knowledge of scientific and non-scientific (regional) actors and the programmatic goals of biosphere parks. Our research questions relate to the historical development of speik use, the current framework conditions for extraction and use, and future opportunities for regional actors.