Abstract

The caterpillar fungus, Yartsa Gunbu (Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung et al.), offers one prime example of the phenomenon, where a resource of immense economic value runs the risk of being over-exploited, more so when its exploitation remains a ‘common property resource’. The ever-increasing demand of the commodity in the international markets and concomitantly its ever-increasing price, hovering at present at US$ 20,000 per kilogram locally, has resulted in not just its rampant exploitation but also the degradation of the very habitat, thus endangering its sustainability. The present study conducted across 9 broad study sites, across 110 villages and 2511 harvesters, within the Pithoragarh district, Central Himalaya delves into the following broad objectives; (i) quantity of the harvested lot from the region; (ii) effect of over-harvesting vis-a-vis the degradation of the prime habitat on the quantity harvested each year, as also (iii) its effect on the population size of the host larva (Thitarodes), and lastly, (iv) comparative study of the income generated out of the sale of Yartsa Gunbu, with the traditional sources of income. Field visits were made to each of the village; information was gathered through open-ended questionnaire. Host population size study was conducted in three selective sites through hand-sorting method. While over-all quantity of the harvested lot has shown an increase; habitat-wise the quality harvested has shown a perceptible decline in three broad study sites, a trend likely to be replicated by rest of the sites, which currently though is experiencing an increased yield. 

Key words: Economy, ethnobotany, habitat ecology, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, sustainability, Yartsa Gunbu.