Fungivory assessment of wild edible mushrooms in Bicol Natural Park, Philippines

Mushrooms are known as one of the decomposers in the ecosystem since they commonly thrive in plant debris which is highly abundant in Bicol Natural Park. In addition, these macrofungi were identified to be consumed by the locals due to its palatability and nutritional attributes. However, these edible mushrooms are not locally cultivated and the major area under the jurisdiction of the National Park was still untouched. Thus, a survey of one hundred respondents was carried out to assess the consumption of the wild edible mushrooms of Bicol Natural Park, having the two areas of Camarines Sur province situated at BNP, that is Barangay Bahi, Lupi and Barangay Tible, Sipocot served as sources of data. The study aimed to determine the wild edible mushrooms being consumed by the locals,identify their local terminologies and determine the various cooking methods of the indigenous edible mushrooms by the residents. Findings revealed that thirteen mushroom species were reported to be edible and are known to be practically consumed. On the other hand, the identified edible mushrooms have a native term in the area, and likewise these wild macrofungi were noted to be prepared and served as soup, fried and spice for different dishes. The mushroom species collected need to be further explored to establish its cultivation protocol in a farm setting.