Sharp decline in Yarcha collection, says report
The collection of Yarchagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is declining considerably from its habitat in the country, showed a new study.
A study carried out in Dolpa district of Mid West Nepal shows the average per capital harvest of the medicinal caterpillar fungus has decreased from 267 pieces per person in 2006 to 125 pieces in 2010. The research was conducted by Uttam Babu Shrestha, a PhD scholar at the University of Massachusetts and a research associate at Harvard University, from May to August 2011. The study is supported by the Rufford Foundation, UK, and is based on a survey among harvesters.
“The harvesting trend of Yarchagumba has declined by 32 pieces per person every year in last five years in the district,” he said.
Shrestha attributes the decline to over-harvesting, premature harvest, overgrazing, unavailability of the host larvae and climate change, among other reasons.
Shrestha plans to conduct similar research covering social, economical and economic components in the district next year. Dolpa alone holds more than 50 percent of the total Yarchagumba production across the country.
He said the research carried out in Bhutan, India and Tibet also showed decline of Yarchagumba harvest.
Shrestha, whose research findings were published in Nature journal on Thursday, said the fungus is used to treat asthma and other diseases. It is one of the world’s most expensive natural medical resources that contributes to the global market worth between US$ 5 to 11 billion.
Posted on: 2012-02-04 09:16
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