Recently, the People's Government of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province issued the "Management Measures for the Protection and Utilization of Wild Fungi" (hereinafter referred to as the "Management Measures"), which will come into effect on August 1st. This is the first normative document for the protection and management of wild fungi in China.

The Management Measures are formulated in accordance with relevant provisions such as the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations on the Promotion of Under Forest Economy in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and combined with the actual situation of Chuxiong Prefecture, with a total of 6 chapters and 29 articles.

The Management Measures stipulate that the protection and utilization of wild mushrooms shall be carried out in accordance with the principles of ecological priority, protection priority, conservation integration, and scientific utilization. The wild fungi referred to in the Management Measures refer to large fungal fruiting bodies that are not artificially cultivated, naturally distributed in the wild, grow under natural conditions, have ecological, economic, scientific, and cultural value, and are visible to the naked eye. This includes edible wild fungi, medicinal wild fungi, and other wild fungi that grow on forests, grasslands, cultivated land, gardens, wetlands, and other objects.

The Management Measures stipulate the conditions and contents of the construction of wild mushroom conservation and breeding bases, and clarify the management rights, collection rights, management rights, and profit rights of wild mushrooms; Established technical measures for the conservation and promotion of wild mushrooms, as well as standardized and scientific collection methods for wild mushrooms; It stipulates legal responsibilities such as damaging the growth environment of wild mushrooms, illegally harvesting wild mushrooms, and infringing on the intellectual property rights of wild mushrooms.

In recent years, driven by economic interests, predatory harvesting such as immature and unscientific collection of wild mushrooms still exists in Chuxiong Prefecture, resulting in the destruction of wild mushroom resources. The implementation of the "Management Measures" will further strengthen the protection and utilization of wild mushroom resources in Chuxiong Prefecture, standardize business management, achieve sustainable utilization of wild mushroom resources, and promote the stable and far-reaching development of the wild mushroom industry in Chuxiong Prefecture.

It is reported that there are over 540 species of large fungi in Chuxiong Prefecture, of which over 300 can be used for food and medicine, accounting for 30% of the country's wild mushroom species and 33% in Yunnan Province. In 2023, the wild mushroom production in Chuxiong Prefecture reached 54500 tons, with a total output value of 7.14 billion yuan. Chuxiong Prefecture has become a gathering area for the wild mushroom industry in Yunnan Province and one of the main bases for the production, trading, processing, and export of wild mushrooms in China.

(Source: Guangming Daily, Chuxiong Forestry and Grassland Bureau)