NT Reporter
Panaji
Over the past 30 years, the Western Ghats — home to 35–40 species of Termitomyces mushrooms — have witnessed a sharp decline in wild mushroom diversity due to overexploitation. Only 5–7 local species are now seen in the market, down from 12 previously marketed, the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) said on Wednesday.
The Board has issued an appeal to halt the rampant exploitation of these precious wild edible mushrooms — known locally as roen olmi — warning that decades of overharvesting have pushed these ecologically vital species to the brink of collapse.
It said that for thousands of years, ethical principles followed by forest dwellers had conserved these species, as they never considered marketing them. However, since 1975, market forces have altered traditional conservation practices, leading to their overexploitation.
Currently, these mushrooms fetch Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per kilogram in dried form, the GSBB said, adding, “This year, the prices may cross Rs 1,500–2,000 per packet.”
In a detailed advisory released on July 1, the GSBB said that these mushrooms, “cultivated for 120 million years strictly by fungus-growing and mound- or roen-building termites,” are being systematically plundered from pristine forest areas during the monsoon season from July to September.
The advisory said these wild species “play a very important role as a powerful degrading fungus in forest and grassland ecosystems, converting fifty per cent of dead plant material on the ground into rich, fertile soil.”
The mushrooms share a unique ecological relationship with termites. “These species have no independent existence anywhere in the world, and termites need their seeds for their own use. They grow only in association with termites. If there are no termites, there are no mushrooms, and vice versa,” the advisory stated.
The GSBB specifically identified vulnerable varieties, including khut or khutyaliolami, toshaliolami, sonyaliolami, and chonchyaliolami, along with smaller species like Shiti and Shitololami, found at the end of the monsoon.
Until the government declares a total ban, the GSBB has appealed to consumers to avoid purchasing these mushrooms and instead “patronise the much cheaper, more nutritious, and cleaner button and oyster mushrooms available in abundance in local markets.”
