Diversity and Ethnomycological Knowledge of Wild Mushrooms Consumed by Indigenous People Living Near the Botambi Classified Forest in the Central African Republic

This study aims to safeguard endogenous knowledge on the use of wild mushrooms from the classified forest of Botambi in the Central African Republic and to highlight the dietary importance of these biological resources for Ngbaka, Boffi, Issongo and Aka pygmies Aka pygmies indigenous peoples. To do this, field missions, based on the use of individual interviews using a Semi-structured questionnaire were carried out with only 60 people from May to October 2023. A total of 46 species have been recorded, divided into 25 genera and 18 different families. Of these species, 43 have been well identified while 3 have not been formally identified mycologically. The most represented genera are Cantharellus and Termitomyces with 6 and 5 species respectively. Four species including Auracularia cornea, Aulacularia delicata, Cantharellus rhodophyllus and Schizophyllum commune are used in traditional medicine to treat adolescent spleen disease, stomach ache, tooth decay, kidney failure. The results also showed that 4 species are the subject of barter activities and 11 are offered for sale. The habitat of these species includes forest, palm grove and coffee plantation. Cooking is the most commonly used method of preparation (93.47%). This study reveals that there is a high diversity of edible wild mushrooms in the Central African Republic. Many efforts must be made to enhance and safeguard this food heritage.