Tibetan Poachers Target Bhutan's 'miracle' Fungus

One of the world's most precious environments, Bhutan's Jigme Dorji National Park - home to tigers, snow leopards, and black-necked cranes - is being threatened by fungus hunters.

The park, famed for its hot springs that attract thousands of trekkers every year, is being dug up by collectors of caterpillars infected by the fungus Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps is a traditional Chinese medicine, and the fungus's popularity has soared in the last couple of years to the point where it now sells for $7,000 (£3,800) a kilogram, half the price of gold. It is this price hike that has triggered the crisis at Jigme Dorji, one of the few places in the world where Cordyceps is found.

'Millions of fungus-infected caterpillars are being dug up every year,' said Paul Cannon, of Cabi Bioscience, an intergovernmental agency that promotes sustained use of the environment in developing nations. 'That is utterly unsustainable.'

Part of the problem is posed by the poachers who arrive from Tibet and take the caterpillars. The rest lies with local people who are also digging up infected cadavers at an overenthusiastic rate.

Experts say that if the crop collapses, which is bound to happen at its current rate of loss, then local people will have no other income, and the consequences for the region would be catastrophic. Thousands of families - for whom fungus sales are their main source of income - could badly damage their livelihoods.

Cordyceps sinensis infects caterpillars of Thitarodes ghost moths, kills them and then fills every cavity of their bodies. In spring, the fungus sends out a stalk from its dead host to release spores. These go on to infect new victims.

The cycle is one of nature's least pleasant biological quirks. Yet the fungus - which is said to boost immune function and revitalise the bodies of those who consume it - has also proved in recent years to be a highly lucrative product.

It was a relative medicinal rarity two decades ago. Then, in 1993, Chinese athletes Junxia Wang and Yunxia Qu leapt to fame when they broke world records: Wang in the 3,000m and 10,000m. and Qu in the 1,500m. Both claimed their success was due to the revitalising effects of Cordyceps sinensis

Demand for it leapt, creating a caterpillar rush in the process. The initial impact on Jigme Dorji was sustainable, say ecologists. However, the outbreak of Sars in Hong Kong two years ago created a massive demand for the fungus.

The Bhutanese government recently introduced regulations permitting only limited trade but this has failed to stop mass removal of infected caterpillars from the park. The only answer, says Cannon, is to try to establish fungal farms in villages. 'That just might take pressure off the environment,' he said.