Yarsagumba under threat due to climate change

By Our Correspondent, Mugu, Aug. 29: Yarsagumba production has started to decline as snowfall in the alpine pastures has diminished due to climate change.

Locals said both the quality and production of yarsagumba found in the northern part of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality in northern Mugu have declined in recent years.

According to local Palz Thojing Lama of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality, inadequate snowfall in the mountain region has directly affected the production and quality of yarsagumba. 

It is collected from alpine pastures, including Sanokuiki, Thulokuiki, Riugad, Chyapne and Chhapakhola, from May to June.

Yarsagumba, which is found at altitudes of around 3,500 to 5,500 metres above sea level, is a valuable medicinal herb. Lama said collectors found that the yarsagumba was of relatively poor quality this year due to inadequate snowfall in the pastures.

Tej Bahadur Rokaya of Patarasi Rural Municipality-4 in Jumla said that in previous years, an individual could collect between 300 and 400 large, high-quality yarsagumba specimens. However, this year, the lack of snowfall and dry conditions in the pastures caused the yarsagumba to dry out and reduced its quality.

“We used to collect 300 to 400 yarsagumba each. This year, we could barely find 50 to 100,” Rokaya said. He said his family had previously relied on income from yarsagumba to meet household expenses, but the decline in production this year has raised concerns about how to make ends meet.

Niraj Jha, chief of the Division Forest Office, Mugu, said yarsagumba develops through a biological process involving the larvae of a moth and a fungus, making snow and environmental conditions important to its natural cycle. Studies have shown that it takes around 35 to 38 days for the fungus to mature and release its spores into the soil, he said.

Jha said the decline in yarsagumba production and drying of vegetation in the mountain region in recent years, alongside excessive harvesting, are signs of a vulnerable ecosystem. 

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