Distribution, Harvesting, and Trade of Yartsa Gunbu (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in the Sikkim Himalaya, India

Bharat Kumar Pradhan,Arun Chettri,Bindhya Subba,Santosh Chettri,Dhani Raj Chettri,Ghanashyam Sharma,Aditya Pradhan

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-19-00039.1

Bharat Kumar Pradhan, Arun Chettri + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd-journal-d-19-00039.1

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Abstract

Cordyceps has significantly improved the socioeconomic status of the mountain people in the Sikkim Himalaya, India, but an upsurge in demand and its price has resulted in overexploitation and degradation of the fragile alpine habitat in which it grows. This study aimed to shed light on the distribution, resource abundance, harvesting practices, commercialization, and trade of Cordyceps through household surveys and open-ended interviews with the collectors, sublocal and local traders, and local officials. Significant differences (p < 0.001) in average collection and income per household were observed. The income from Cordyceps ranged from US$ 0.03 to 0.23 million for the 3 villages studied. We conclude that there is a strong need to understand the market of Cordyceps and develop the value chain to regulate its price in Sikkim.

Highlights

The collection and marketing of forest products have cumulatively diversified economics and resulted in dramatic livelihood changes in the Himalaya and around the world (Olsen and Larsen 2003; Kandari et al 2012)
Based on collectors’ information, Cordyceps is distributed in about 72 km2 (1.01% of the total geographical area, 7096 km2) of Sikkim and is confined to the North (56 km2) and East districts (16 km2) along 3800–5000 masl (Figure 1)
Cordyceps accounts for a major share of household income in other parts of the Himalaya (Wangchuk et al 2012; Childs and Choedup 2014), but we lack official data on this for our study area; our data indicate that the collectors are making a substantial income from its collection and sale

Summary

Introduction

The collection and marketing of forest products have cumulatively diversified economics and resulted in dramatic livelihood changes in the Himalaya and around the world (Olsen and Larsen 2003; Kandari et al 2012). Such products are important for alleviating poverty, in addition to sustaining and improving rural livelihoods (Edwards 1996; Olsen 1998; Belcher and Ruiz-Perez 2005; Karki et al 2005; Kep 2007; Shackleton et al 2007; Rasul et al 2008, 2012; Hickey et al 2016). As one of the most expensive biological commodities in the world (Winkler 2009), its harvest and sale have significantly improved the socioeconomic status of local communities across its distribution range, contributing 50–100% of household cash income (Winkler 2009; Wangchuk et al 2012; Kuniyal and Sundriyal 2013; Woodhouse et al 2013; Childs and Choedup 2014; Shrestha and Bawa 2014a, b; Shrestha et al 2017; Laha et al 2018; Pouliot et al 2018; Yadav et al 2018; Karki et al 2020)

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