Mr Hooper explained that certain areas are being completely cleared out overnight.
What we are concerned about is people posting photos of brilliant-looking fungi and the very next day they’re gone,” he told Express. “It’s not something we wish to promote on that level.”
Pictured: Mr Hooper asked members of the Guernsey Wildlife Facebook page not to disclose the location of their forages in their posts.
There is a seasonality for fungi, and the island is currently in peak season, encouraging avid foragers to go hunting for the species, however the other concern is the damage to the surrounding area.
“What we’ve seen is that people are leaving the designated footpaths and are trampling over areas they are not permitted to go, which causes damage to areas that shouldn’t be walked over,” said Mr Hooper.
“It brings humans into areas where they could scare off birds, rare plants might be trampled, or wildflowers could be discouraged to grow there because the foragers might be walking over areas which host important species.”
ANNOUNCEMENT: If you’re sharing fabulous #fungi pictures in #Guernsey#chog please do NOT include where you found your fungi. Foraging is rapidly increasing along with associated habitat damage and site disturbance. Fungi ???? with location promptly get taken. Thanks https://t.co/wyuwTKPcdd
— GuernseyBRC (@GuernseyBRC) October 28, 2021
Pictured: The message has been echoed by the Guernsey Biological Records Centre.
Mr Hooper explained that the community is split in their views on foraging, with some believing that foraging is fine because only the fruiting bodies are picked and the bulk of the fungi is underground and will regrow the following autumn. However, he believes that this could be unsustainable to some species.
“What we would encourage is to ensure that foraging activities respect the rules of the land concerned by staying to areas where the public are permitted, not to venture away from those routes, and to ensure that any harvest that is taken is sustainable,” added Mr Hooper.