CLIMATE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
UN Launches First Global Fungal Conservation Strategy
WHY IT MATTERS
By embedding fungi into the Kunming‑Montreal Framework, the strategy will drive research funding, legal protection, and conservation actions that secure critical ecosystem services and carbon storage worldwide.
What happened
At the United Nations biodiversity conference (COP17) in Yerevan, a coalition of mycologists from 30 countries announced the first global conservation strategy for fungi. Led by Greg Mueller, chief scientist emeritus at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the plan highlights that roughly 160,000 known fungal species—mushrooms, yeasts, and others—are essential ecosystem engineers.
Fungi recycle nutrients, form symbiotic links with plants, sequester carbon in soil, and support food webs. Historically, international conservation talks have largely ignored this kingdom.
The new guidelines aim to fill data gaps, spur targeted research, and protect rare species. They will be incorporated into the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, ensuring fungi receive formal consideration in future biodiversity negotiations.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Fungi now have a global conservation strategy
Mongabay · Bobbybascomb · Discovery and factual synthesis only; publisher copyright terms apply