Conservation of Fungi

Conserving Fungi – Progress and Next Steps

Fungal Conservation was, at best, a niche topic until recently. Fungi were not included in international, national or state policies, and they were mostly absent from conservation actions. The situation is changing, rapidly in some corners of the world, but much remains to be done. Some of the changes are coming through efforts to have countries and states explicitly include fungi in their conservation agendas. Two examples include (1) the Fungal Conservation Pledge that is being spearheaded by Fungi Foundation and (2) the Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation that was launched at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Armenia last month. These high-level efforts are important, but the role of community scientists cannot be underestimated in the progress that has been made or in the work that lies ahead. The current status of fungal conservation and ideas of what needs to be done to keep the momentum moving will be covered during the presentation.

Presented by Gregory M. Mueller, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist Emeritus, Chicago Botanic Garden
Research Associate, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Adjunct Professor, School of Biological Sciences, SIU Carbondale
Co-Chair, IUCN SSC Fungal Conservation Committee
Co-Chair, IUCN SSC Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball Specialist Group