by Shingirai Madondo, Teng Junwei

GABORONE, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's five-pula coin features an engraved image of a mophane worm, a nutritious delicacy popular in southern Africa.

But climate change has led to a dramatic decline in mophane worm population, hurting those who rely on harvesting the worms for a living.

Mophane worms, a species of emperor moth native to the warmer parts of southern Africa, primarily feed on mophane tree leaves.

Peggy Kenosi, a mophane worm harvester from Tonota, a rural community on the outskirts of Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city, blamed a prolonged dry spell for her dwindling catch.

A drought swept across Botswana in the last quarter of 2024, when temperatures hovered between 36 and 46 degrees Celsius, making it hard for the worms to survive.

Mophane worms are a staple source of protein and other nutrients for Botswana's rural communities and for commercial uses as a relish, and catching the caterpillars has been her way of life, said Kenosi, 55.

Despite the drought, she travelled over 200 km to faraway mophane woodlands to harvest the worms. She needs the income to support her family.

"If it was not for the drought, I could have harvested tons and tons of mophane worms," Kenosi said. This season, however, she only managed 10 50-kg bags of the delicacy.

The worms are collected, cooked and then dried, a process that usually takes three weeks to a month.

"My camping here costs around 2,500 pula (183 U.S. dollars) for a period of three weeks to a month. But I am expecting to make 30,030 pula (2,200 dollars) since each 50-kg bag sells for about 3,044 pula (220 dollars)," Kenosi said.

An average farm laborer in Botswana earns 1,961 pula (142 dollars) a month.

Oduetse Morekisi, a 47-year-old harvester, has reaped only three 50-kg bags since the rainy season.

"It feels like a waste of my time," she said. "I was of the belief that I will raise enough to fend for my children the whole of 2024, but the three bags will yield only about 9,009 pula."

Ntombizodwa Nleya, who used to sell mophane worms in Francistown, said there is absolutely nothing to sell this year. She now sells groundnuts and maize at the city's bus rank in the central business district.

Radithupa Radithupa, chief climatologist at the Department of Meteorological Services in the Botswanan Ministry of Environment of Tourism, said that "climate change is playing a big role in the declining mophane worms, because most die at larvae stage due to high to extremely high temperatures."

Over-harvesting is another factor behind the drop in mophane worm population.

In the past, mophane worm harvesting was solely for relish, but the worms are now being marketed on a commercial basis, driving up market demand, said Ephias Mugari, a senior lecturer at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Since 2013, Botswana has issued permits to regulate the harvesting of the worms, but locals say better protection is needed.

"Efforts to protect the mophane worms should be intensified," said Morekisi, the harvester. "The Mophane worm is our country's icon when it comes to nutritious foods in Botswana." Enditem

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