The major threat is the largely unregulated large scale and increasing harvest of the fungus throughout its range fueled by high demand and increasingly high prices. Besides over-collection by humans, there are numerous other minor threats. Over-grazing leading to desertification has been observed;
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
International external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
No
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is negatively affecting the status (e.g., population is declining; extraction effort is increasing)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out
We find that, according to collectors across four countries, caterpillar fungus production has decreased due to habitat degradation, climate change, and especially over-exploitation. Our results underscore that harvesting is not the sole threat to economically valuable species, and that a collapse of the caterpillar fungus system under ongoing warming and high collection pressure would have serious implications throughout the Himalayan region.
The sustainability of the caterpillar fungus ecology and economy is threatened by the combined pressures of climate change and over-exploitation for traditional medicine.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
Hopping, K., Chignell, S., & Lambin, E. (2018). The demise of caterpillar fungus in the Himalayan region due to climate change and overharvesting. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 115(45), 11489-11494. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1811591115
We find that, according to collectors across four countries, caterpillar fungus production has decreased due to habitat degradation, climate change, and especially overexploitation. Interviews with caterpillar fungus collec- tors and traders throughout the Himalayan region about their LEK reveal that in the past decade, the majority of respondents observed that caterpillar fungus production has decreased
Threats/pressures impacting the species at the scale of this record