Help protect fungi
(19 min; Greg Mueller)
Fungal Conservation: What you and your club can do.
August 14, 2021 - A presentation by Sigrid Jakob
Slides
FunDiS & Fungal conservation
Two talks by Greg Mueller, IUCN Fungal Conservation Cmtee chair
NatureServe BWB [19 min] NY Mycological Society [82 min]
Fungi are important, endangered and in need of protection
Fungi are among the most diverse and ecologically significant organisms on the earth, and in turn enable plant and animal diversity. They play an essential role in many habitats, forming beneficial relationships with countless trees and other plants and many animals - relationships that support much of life on Earth. Fungal diversity often far exceeds that of the tree species. Did you know that over 40 ectomycorrhizal species can live in partnership with a single pine tree? They are also important decomposers and recyclers, turning dead matter into nutritious substrates from which new life can grow.
The bad news is that fungi everywhere are decreasing in quantity and diversity, are under threat or going extinct. Whether they live in old growth forest, grasslands or deserts their habitats are being encroached on by development, logging, fires and climate change, attacked by nitrogen deposition and pollution. And that’s bad news for the countless trees, plants, insects and other animals that depend directly or indirectly on the fungi in their ecosystem.
Like so many other organisms, fungi and their habitats need to be protected - because habitat health and fungal health are inextricably interwoven. But unlike plants or animals, fungi rarely get considered in conservation plans. They lack legal protection. At best, they’re an afterthought: of the 120,000 species that have been assessed for the IUCN Red List of threatened species only 371 are mushrooms - the rest are plants and animals. And not a single mushroom species is protected under the Endangered Species Act in the United States.
Why is that? Unlike plants or animals many species of fungi often only fruit for a few days a year; their fruiting bodies appear and disappear quickly. At first glance, their diversity is not visible. They’re often inconspicuous and few people look for them and record them. And without a public record of their existence, they remain neglected, under-researched, misunderstood and unprotected.
How you can help
Participate in our West Coast Rare Fungi Challenge!
Help us find and document rare, under-documented and potentially threatened fungi on the West Coast. Scientists and conservationists need more data on these fungi in order to better understand and protect them. Your high quality observations can make a difference. This is a pilot for more watchlist challenges in other parts of North America. Watch this space!
NEW: Northeast Rare Fungi Challenge
launches on July 1st, 2022!
Learn about the 20 target rare, threatened, or under-documented
species and add your observations to iNaturalist OR Mushroom Observer!
Contribute high quality observations of fungi to our Diversity Database on iNaturalist
By creating high quality observations of fungi - especially of fungi in vulnerable, out of the way and threatened habitats - you’re adding valuable knowledge about their distribution and frequency. This in turn can guide research and conservation plans for their habitats. We can only protect what we know about! Find out more here.
Conservation Working Group
Greg Mueller, Chicago Botanic Garden; Global Fungal Red List; FunDiS BOD
Else Vellinga, University of California, Berkeley
Bitty Roy, University of Oregon
Roo Vandegrift, University of Oregon
Anne Frances, NatureServe
Cathie Aime, Purdue University
Rob Stevenson, Univ. Massachusetts Boston & FunDiS BOD
Rick Van de Poll, Ecosystem Management Consultants
Christin Swearingen, Alaska
Liam Nokes, Harvard Univ. Herbaria
Samantha Bucciarelli, Philadelphia
Brian Looney, Clark University
Danny Haelewaters, Belgium
Django Grootmyers, Ohio
Sigrid Jakob, NYMS & FunDiS BOD
Bill Sheehan, FunDiS BOD, President
Joanne Schwartz, FunDiS BOD, VP
Ken Buegeleisen, SOMA, FunDiS BOD Treasurer
Resources
Fungi are key to our survival. Are we doing enough to protect them?
Sarah Gibbens. 2021. National Geographic [PDF]
Recognition of the discipline of conservation mycology.
Tom May et al. 2018. Conservation Biology [PDF]
Applying IUCN red-listing criteria for assessing and reporting on the conservation status of fungal species.
Dahlberg and Mueller. 2011. Fungal ecology [PDF]
