Private Initiative Drives Fungal Research as Scientists Work Around Resource Gaps
Fungal conservation is gaining global momentum through private scientific initiative and international collaboration, with African researchers emerging as key players despite operating in regions with minimal government infrastructure support. The International Congress on Fungal Conservation held in Cotonou, Benin, less than one year ago drew mycologists from 27 countries across Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia, underscoring how decentralized, individual effort rather than top-down government programs is driving progress in an emerging field.
The congress highlighted a critical reality: African scientists are pioneering fungal research in their home countries without institutional backing. Sydney Ndolo Ebika, identified as the Republic of the Congo's first mycologist, exemplifies this challenge. When he decided to study fungi, there was no one in Congo-Brazzaville to teach him. He began emailing mycologists abroad asking if he could join their laboratories. During his graduate studies in Germany, around the same time the International Society for Fungal Conservation was formed 16 years ago, he photocopied entire books on fungi because he knew no one in the Congo had access to those resources. He has now established the Republic of the Congo's first fungarium, where type specimens are preserved to allow mycologists to establish the existence of new species—a private initiative filling a gap left by government institutions.
Madagascar's first homegrown mycologist, Anna Ralaiveloarisoa, faces similar obstacles. She describes fungi as "some of the most important things in the world" because "They feed 90% of terrestrial plants. Without them, there is no life on the Earth." Yet less than 1% of the estimated 100,000 species of fungi in Madagascar have been scientifically described. Ralaiveloarisoa is working on classifying 200 new species she has identified, while confronting challenges including trying to preserve mushrooms without proper infrastructure, traveling to remote jungle areas without reliable roads or electricity, and having no other experts to collaborate with in Madagascar.
Market-Driven Conservation Framework Emerging
The fungal conservation movement itself developed through private organizational initiative rather than government mandate. The International Society for Fungal Conservation was established 16 years ago by mycologists from more than 40 countries. The first conservation nonprofit organization, the Fungi Foundation, was created 14 years ago. The first conservation legislation to include fungi was not passed until Chile did so 13 years ago—demonstrating how private action preceded government codification. North America's first fungal conservation nonprofit group, Fundis, was created 9 years ago, followed by SPUN, the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, 5 years ago, which was cofounded by evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers.
David Minter, president of the ISFC, noted the field's recent emergence: "Fungal conservation up to the early 2000s was really just a few disjointed, separate voices of scientists expressing concern about the results they were observing." He compared fungi to essential service providers: "But if [waste collectors] go on strike, we sure know that they're needed. It's exactly the same with fungi."
At the opening ceremony, Nourou Yorou, described as a mycologist recently named general director of the Benin Agency for Science and Innovation, told delegates: "What an exciting time: from almost nothing 20 years ago, fungal conservation has evolved from a little-known field into a dynamic global movement. The challenge is now to plan a future where fungi are firmly placed in the conservation mainstream."
Individual Expertise Driving Policy Change
African scientists are now leveraging their expertise to shape policy. Cathy Sharp has taken an educational approach in Zimbabwe, researching children's knowledge of fungi by asking pupils to draw what came to mind when they heard "mushroom" in their local languages. Most pictures were detailed enough to identify by genus, and some could be narrowed to species. Sharp is implementing educational initiatives in museums and schools to preserve this knowledge. She noted that Zimbabwe once had fungi in its junior curriculum, which was removed during Covid. "When I'm finished with what I'm doing now, I'm going to fight to have it put back in," she said.
Joyce Jefwa, a Kenyan mycologist researching botany, mycology and soil fertility, expressed optimism about peer collaboration. "Africa is still finding its way in fungal conservation," she said, adding that she is hopeful about opportunities to meet other mycologists across the continent and beyond to share resources and learn from what has worked in other countries. "We have to talk with one voice as African mycologists, so that the policymakers and those who are in different sectors, such as forestry, conservation and environment, can get to know the importance of fungi."
A few months after the congress, participants released the Cotonou declaration, intended to address "the persistent under-representation of fungi" in conservation locally, nationally and globally. The declaration was cowritten by participants from four continents and codifies global priorities for mycology conservation. Yorou called the congress "a milestone for the global mycological community and … fungal conservation, both in Africa and across the world."
Scientific evidence supports expanded fungal protection. A 2024 UN biodiversity meeting in Colombia proposed a "fungal conservation pledge" that will be discussed again later this year at the biodiversity meeting in Armenia. A 1 year ago study published in Nature found that less than 10% of predicted hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness are protected. Research shows that 90% of plants on Earth rely on fungi to supply crucial nutrients, and as much as 36% of annual CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are stored in the underground mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi.
Why This Matters:
The fungal conservation movement demonstrates how scientific progress and policy advancement can emerge from decentralized, private initiative rather than government-directed programs. African scientists like Ndolo Ebika and Ralaiveloarisoa are driving research and conservation efforts despite operating without institutional support, relying instead on international networks and personal initiative. The field's development—from private organizations establishing conservation frameworks to individual scientists pushing for educational policy changes—illustrates how expertise and market-driven collaboration can address environmental challenges more effectively than waiting for top-down government intervention. The emergence of African leadership in fungal conservation, codified in the Cotonou declaration, signals a shift toward decentralized expertise shaping global conservation priorities. This model of individual responsibility and international scientific cooperation, rather than centralized government mandates, may offer lessons for how emerging fields can develop sustainable, locally-rooted conservation frameworks across resource-constrained regions.