Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

5.1 Disorderly harvesting
We have pointed out that relevant regulations have been established by the government
of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Law enforcement has been strengthened
during the collection period, <strong>and</strong> officers have been sent to excavation
points to check collection permits, control collector traffic <strong>and</strong> make sure that
outsiders <strong>and</strong> unauthorized personnel are kept out of the territory. However, in
the issuance of collection permits for Cordyceps sinensis, the requirements for
qualification are still too low. As long as a collector pays a management fee, a
collection permit can be obtained. There are no limitations on the number of
collectors or the times of collection. There have been no environmental education
or awareness campaigns on the sustainable use of resources. The harvesting
process of this valuable medicinal mushroom is indeed barbaric, with no
mushroom left behind by the collectors. There has been no planning for the
collection process, either. Collectors swarm to the harvesting sites in search for
their treasure, creating fierce competition amongst themselves. No one spares
any Cordyceps sinensis as seed material for the next year or considers the issue of
sustainability. The pillage often causes serious damage to following year’s output,
threatening the sustainable use of such a scarce resource. One village head
from Jiangda Town, Kampot Jiangda County compared the present situation to
former times. He said that in 1988, one collector could harvest more than 800
medicinal mushrooms per day, while in 2007, the most he could harvest was 60
or so per day. As market dem<strong>and</strong> for Cordyceps sinensis increases year by year,
the predatory collection practice is likely to cross a threshold. The vicious cycle
will result in decreasing harvests. Without effective <strong>and</strong> immediate measures
taken this important source of income for mountain farmers <strong>and</strong> pastoralists
will be destroyed in one generation.
5.2 Lack of regulation of the Cordyceps sinensis market
There are many lawbreakers driven by the excessive profits available who use
Cordyceps liangshanensis, Cordyceps branches, Stachys geobombycis, Cordyceps
militaris or Cordyceps hawkesii gray to fake Cordyceps sinensis. What is worse is
that customers can even find fake so-called Cordyceps sinensis in the market
made from wheat flour, corn flour <strong>and</strong> plaster. These counterfeits are seriously
disturbing the market. The government departments concerned should take
effective measures as soon as possible to create a good market environment for
this precious natural resource from the Tibetan Plateau.
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