Introduction

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe with over one million members. It manages over 150 nature reserves throughout the UK, covering more than 108 000 hectares. Away from the reserves the Society safeguards sites and species of conservation importance through research, lobbying and education, whilst outside the UK the RSPB is working with Birdlife International Partners on major conservation projects in 18 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. The RSPB, together with voluntary organisations, has produced a practical guide to conserving the UK's biodiversity that has been adopted at Government level.

The Society is committed to the management of nonavian taxa on its reserves, and is UK champion for nonbird species such as the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis. The Society's interest in other biotic groups has been somewhat biased towards invertebrates and lower plants, for the most part to the exclusion of the fungi. This latter fact is understandable given the difficulties with identification and the complex taxonomy within mycology. In recent years an interest in the fungi on RSPB reserves has been encouraged by one or two active field mycologists, and has gradually led to the development of an in-house strategy for their conservation.

Threatened in Europe

A rapid decline of fungi across northern Europe has been reported since the 1980s. Before discussing habitats and species on RSPB reserves the European situation needs to be understood.