CAN HELICICULTURE ACT AS A TOOL FOR EDIBLE LAND SNAILS’ NATURAL POPULATIONS’ MANAGEMENT IN ROMANIA?

Edible land snails are intensively exploited and the management of natural populations is a complex issue due the variety of factors involved. Two species of the genus Helix are present in our country, Helix pomatia and Helix lucorum, both of them collected since 1956. Although current legislation regulates the exploited amount and the dimension of collected snails, the exploitable amount is not assessed using appropriate ecological studies. The farming of edible snails has evolved in Romania especially during the period 2004-2008, the first farms being financed by the SAPARD Project. The inappropriate documentation on the matter of snail farming had lead to a quick failure of this practice in Romania. It is unlikely that snail farming will replace collection on short or medium term, but obtaining reasonable quantities of snails in snail farms could help to reduce their exploitation in nature to an acceptable level and keep a sustainable exploitation