Cordyceps collectors and change in livelihood pattern with income generated from its sale; the need to balance with alpine ecosystem

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is an Ascomycetes medical fungus with a long and illustrious history. It is found throughout the eastern Himalayas and eastern parts of China. It is harvested between the months of May and June in Bhutan and from April to August elsewhere. This study has been initiated with the
growing anecdotal reports of improving livelihood of collectors from its sale and also equally destroying the alpine ecosystem with the influx of increased number of collectors. This study quantifies the amount earned and contributions made to livelihood of Bhutan’s remote people living in the Cordyceps growing areas. It further identifies negative impacts from the collection of Cordyceps. The study has been conducted through questionnaire surveys wherein 394 Cordyceps collectors from five block administrative boundary within Wangduephodrang and Bumthang District were interviewed, which comprised of about 60 % of the collectors within these two Districts. We found that collectors interviewed earned about Ngultrum 57 million from 2004 to 2009. This translates to each households earning about Nu. 0.14 million (US $ 2800.00) on an average since they started collection or Nu. 23,000.00 (US $ 460.00) per household in a year. More than 79% of the collectors interviewed use Rhododendron and Juniper wood for cooking and heating. Garbage is a huge problem on the collection
grounds with 96% of the collectors leaving garbage on camping and collection grounds. The extensive use of slow growing rhododendron and Juniper as fuelwood poses the risk of such shrublands from getting decimated completely. If left unregulated and unmonitored, the impacts from the collection of this highly priced fungi while helping improve livelihoods will leave some of the last pristine alpine ecosystems on this planet transformed for the worse.