Chasing Chinese Caterpillar Fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) Harvesters in the Himalayas: Harvesting Practice and Its Conservation Implications in Western Nepal

The Chinese caterpillar fungus is famous for its high market value, unusual life history, and significant medicinal uses. It is harvested by very poor communities and sold for an extraordinarily high price. Most of the studies on this species are focused on therapeutic uses, chemical analyses, ecolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Society & natural resources 2014-12, Vol.27 (12), p.1242-1256
Main Authors: Shrestha, Uttam Babu, Shrestha, Sujata, Ghimire, Shivaraj, Nepali, Kamal, Shrestha, Bharat Babu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
biodiversity conservation
Chemicals
China
Chinese medicine
Communities
Conservation
Ecology
Fungi
Harvest
Harvesting
Himalayas
History
Life History
Local communities
Market value
Markets
medicinal fungus
Nepal
Perception
Perceptions
Poor
Prices
Stocks
Surveys
Trade
Values
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Summary:The Chinese caterpillar fungus is famous for its high market value, unusual life history, and significant medicinal uses. It is harvested by very poor communities and sold for an extraordinarily high price. Most of the studies on this species are focused on therapeutic uses, chemical analyses, ecology, and trade. However, harvesting techniques and intensity of the harvests remain undocumented. We document harvesting techniques, trends of harvest, and perceptions of the Chinese caterpillar fungus harvesters in Dolpa, Nepal, based on surveys, focus-group discussions, and direct observations. Along with increasing market value, intensity of the harvest has been increasing. The Chinese caterpillar fungus harvest has now become the second most important livelihood strategy for the local communities, after agriculture. Reported per-capita harvest based on the first day of collection has declined over the last 4 years, apparently because of the decline in the stock and the increasing number of harvesters.
ISSN:0894-1920
1521-0723
DOI:10.1080/08941920.2014.928394