A. Species
Scientific name: Ophiocordyceps sinensis
Common name(s): Himalayan (or Chinese) caterpillar fungus
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Vulnerable
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Bhutan
- Nepal
- Tibet [or Xizang]
Country/Region: Tibetan Plateau in China and Himalayan regions of Bhutan, India, and Nepal
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Regional/Continental/Multi-country level
Name/Details of location: Interviewing community leaders from Sichuan, Qinghai, and the Tibet Autonomous Region (Tibet) China
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2017
End Year: 2017
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene and Ceremony and ritual expression
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community), Largescale commercial exploitation for trade and Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual
Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) from interviews.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: From structured interviews (supported by literature review), the finds that, according to the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of collectors across four countries, caterpillar fungus production has decreased due to habitat degradation, climate change, and especially overexploitation.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study concludes that collapse in caterpillar fungus populations would have both ecological and socio-economic ramifications. Noting that the main use of this fungus is medicinal, to treat human health.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study concludes that collapse in caterpillar fungus populations would have both ecological and socio-economic ramifications. Noting that the main use of this fungus is medicinal, to treat human health.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study concludes that collapse in caterpillar fungus populations would have both ecological and socio-economic ramifications. Noting that the main use of this fungus is medicinal, to treat human health.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: study concentrates on fungus gathering
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: study concentrates on fungus gathering
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Combining Western scientific methods with local environmental knowledge proved crucial for understanding recent trends in caterpillar fungus in the Himalayas. While ongoing climate change is likely to reduce caterpillar fungus production throughout its range, implementation of more sustainable management policies intended to counteract over-exploitation will also reduce the amount available for legal collection.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2022-11-14