Dear Collogues

I may be wrong but i would like to bring few things regarding the Cordyceps, legaligation and its lucrative trade for last few years. On this issue, i have already informed this forum that in Autumn 2007, we made a trip from Khoma ( Lhutse) to Bumdeling ( Yangtse) via Garula appr.5300 mals pass. On this journey, i have made some interesting observation, the following were some of them.

1. The Cordyceps sinensis grows very close to glaciers...it may be required glacier influeced temperature and humity for its optimum growth and survival.

 

2. both host ( insect) and fungi are important for its sustainabilty

 

3. Alarming but happening ..the glacier is melting at alarmingly high rate ( you could see moranes) scractes left behind by melting ice. To mee the flooding in Bumdeling valley was the result of the massive loss of ice on those mountain tops ( above shingphel areas)

4. At the social front there are tri--( three) interests group at the collection level itself ( the people with legal rights that is the residents of the alpine pastures..basically the yak herders, downstreams community ( they also wants to have the right to collect) and the poachers across the borders). Seemingly, it would be nice to see the conflict resolved at the beginning itself.

5. My suspision..and i asked the people to confirm my claims..that the people who have the legal rights to collect Cordyceps are also yak herders. with the enough cash flow in thier hands means..they yaks will not be a lucrative ventures for them and slowly they would desend down to settle in urban areas. I thin this is already happening..so what happens to the nice yak culture in our alpine ?

 

6. A suggestion: it would deem appropriate to start a community based tourism based on the cash earned from Cordyceps.. and also taking our yaks to elevated market commomdities ( the organic yak meat and produces). To me yaks are the most organic domesticated animals because they grazed on the alpine pasures of numerous herbs of medicinal values. These areas are not at al polulted with chemicals neither with exotic grasses. Therefore there is a great prospect on selling yak  produces even at international with organic logo.

 

That is all for today

 

Best regards,

 

Purna B.Chhetri

Research Fellow

Inst.of Silviculture

BOKU, Vienna Austria.