MUSHROOMING PROBLEM
More than 20 wild mushroom species of the Thimphu valley of Bhutan have now disappeared because of overexploitation. Experts at the Semtokha-based National Mushroom Centre said that the decline is a result of ecological imbalance caused by the people. "The symbiotic relation between the host trees like pine and the mushroom growing areas has been disturbed due to deforestation in many areas of the valley,' said Dorji Wangchuk, project director of the centre.