One of Qinghai most famous counties when it comes to caterpillar fungus resources is Zadoi / Dzato in Yushu / Gyegu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The main objective of our field work here is looking into Ophiocordyceps sinensis sustainability issues. Unfortunately Qinghai Province has no program to collect yartsa gunbu production numbers. Thus we decided to ask collectors, dealers and administrators to get a feeling regarding changes in annual production. Most people interviewed report a lower "bu" harvest [besides the fact that 2011 is a lousy season here in Yushu TAP, Southwest Qinghai]. Everyone acknowledges that there are many more collectors on the mountains than there used to be, but still there is also less bu than there used to be. One common example is that areas that used to be very rich in bu have little left and that now they have to search much bigger areas with lower concentration. Maybe this shift is due to over-predation? So it looks like we are facing sustainability issues after all, too bad.
I am working with WWF China on an initiative to cut the collection season short to make sure some bu stays in the ground to fully sporulate and provide spores to infect larvae for the next harvest season. After having gone though a bunch of questions regarding yartsa gunbu harvest, income etc. we show a sequence of images depicting the different stages of maturing caterpillar fungus. Then I have a graph showing the life cycle of the ghost moth. Some collectors are totally fascinated by that info and even said, you should make brochures and get this info out. So far, most people reacted positively to the suggestion of cutting the season short when bu loses much of its value and sporulates heavily. In general everyone wants the resource secured and this approach makes sense to them and does not stop collection altogether. Everyone is totally dependent on that fungal money, outright scarily so.
WWF's Norbu is sharing the maturing stages of caterpillar fungus with a collector lady, who suggested we should turn it into a brochure and get it on TV to inform all collectors.
A yartsa gunbu deal on the grassland. Zadoi midsize bu went for 38RMB a piece, roughly 5US$.
Bu collectors camp in the back country of Zadoi. In front typical habitat that is otherwise mainly yak summer pasture. There were several camps in this valley, this one had 50 tents, so roughly 150 to 250 people. Whole families move up here for the 5 weeks collection season.
Grandpa stays back with the kids too small to search for bu.