Yartsa guenbub goes regional

25 April 2009

China will consider identifying an institute to serve as a regional focal agency to initiate, facilitate and promote research on cordyceps sinensis (yartsa guenbub), one of 15 resolutions of a two-day regional conference on cordyceps management and marketing in Bumthang on April 21 and 22 said.

The conference identified the need for community management of cordyceps. Educating harvesters, creating awareness, first aid teachings and garbage management were some of the proposed healthier methods to be adopted so that not only is cordyceps conserved but also other species in the habitat.

Licences will be issued to collectors so that they can collect the required quantity of cordyceps. Starting last year, anyone over 18 years was allowed to collect cordyceps. Before that, only one person from a household could collect the herb.

Each member country will share its present method of collection, cleaning, drying and packaging of yartsa guenbub so that specific manuals can be developed.

Meanwhile, Bhutan will explore possibilities and benefits of various certification procedures. Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority will certify Bhutanese cordyceps and its products before exporting.

Attended by delegates from Bhutan, China, India and Nepal, and representatives from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Centre for Integrated and Mountain Department (ICIMOD), the conference also decided on e-network to facilitate better communication among the parties.

With the fund from WWF, ICIMOD will establish an e-platform so that the focal persons from each country can communicate on any progress on the resolutions.

Based on the information provided by the focal persons of the countries, it will publish a status paper on the current state of knowledge on cordyceps by October 2009.

WWF has agreed to lead a review on existing conservation policy on species in the eastern Himalayas which can be shared through the e-network.

Chairman of the conference, Agriculture Minister Pema Gyamtsho, said, “I am happy we are able to built contacts and a good platform. I would like every delegate to take the resolutions seriously.”

This conference will be held annually on a rotational basis to further understand cordyceps and issues beyond it.

Until an institute is identified to serve as the regional focal agency, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment will follow up on the resolutions of the conference.

BY ESHORI GURUNG

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