Chasing Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) harvesters in the Himalayas: harvesting practice and its conservation implications in western Nepal

Article

Shrestha, Uttam Babu, Shrestha, Sujata, Ghimire, Shivaraj, Nepali, Kamal and Shrestha, Bharat Babu. 2014. "Chasing Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) harvesters in the Himalayas: harvesting practice and its conservation implications in western Nepal." Society and Natural Resources. 27 (12), pp. 1242-1256. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2014.928394
Article Title

Chasing Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) harvesters in the Himalayas: harvesting practice and its
conservation implications in western Nepal

ERA Journal ID10921
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsShrestha, Uttam Babu (Author), Shrestha, Sujata (Author), Ghimire, Shivaraj (Author), Nepali, Kamal (Author) and Shrestha, Bharat Babu (Author)
Journal TitleSociety and Natural Resources
Journal Citation27 (12), pp. 1242-1256
Number of Pages15
Year2014
Place of PublicationPhiladelphia, PA. United States
ISSN0894-1920
1521-0723
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2014.928394
Abstract

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.

Keywordsbiodiversity conservation; harvesting; medicinal fungus; Nepal
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020410406. Natural resource management
410401. Conservation and biodiversity
410404. Environmental management
Public Notes

Copyright 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Permanent restricted access to published version due to publisher copyright policy.

Byline AffiliationsInstitute for Agriculture and the Environment
University of Massachusetts, United States
Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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