Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Fungal conservation issues: recognising the problem, finding solutions
- 2 Current trends and perspectives for the global conservation of fungi
- 3 Conservation and management of forest fungi in the Pacific Northwestern United States: an integrated ecosystem approach
- 4 The future of fungi in Europe: threats, conservation and management
- 5 Fungi as indicators of primeval and old-growth forests deserving protection
- 6 Recognising and managing mycologically valuable sites in The Netherlands
- 7 Threats to hypogeous fungi
- 8 Wild mushrooms and rural economies
- 9 Threats to biodiversity caused by traditional mushroom cultivation technology in China
- 10 A preliminary survey of waxcap grassland indicator species in South Wales
- 11 Grasslands in the coastal dunes: the effect of nature management on the mycota
- 12 The conservation of fungi on reserves managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- 13 Strategies for conservation of fungi in the Madonie Park, North Sicily
- 14 Fungal conservation in Ukraine
- 15 The threatened and near-threatened Aphyllophorales of Finland
- 16 Fungal conservation in Cuba
- 17 Microfungus diversity and the conservation agenda in Kenya
- 18 Fungi and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan: the process explained
- 19 The Scottish Wild Mushroom Forum
- 20 The contribution of national mycological societies: establishing a British Mycological Society policy
- 21 The contribution of national mycological societies: the Dutch Mycological Society and its Committee for Fungi and Nature Conservation
- 22 Fungal conservation in the 21st century: optimism and pessimism for the future
- Index
17 - Microfungus diversity and the conservation agenda in Kenya
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Fungal conservation issues: recognising the problem, finding solutions
- 2 Current trends and perspectives for the global conservation of fungi
- 3 Conservation and management of forest fungi in the Pacific Northwestern United States: an integrated ecosystem approach
- 4 The future of fungi in Europe: threats, conservation and management
- 5 Fungi as indicators of primeval and old-growth forests deserving protection
- 6 Recognising and managing mycologically valuable sites in The Netherlands
- 7 Threats to hypogeous fungi
- 8 Wild mushrooms and rural economies
- 9 Threats to biodiversity caused by traditional mushroom cultivation technology in China
- 10 A preliminary survey of waxcap grassland indicator species in South Wales
- 11 Grasslands in the coastal dunes: the effect of nature management on the mycota
- 12 The conservation of fungi on reserves managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- 13 Strategies for conservation of fungi in the Madonie Park, North Sicily
- 14 Fungal conservation in Ukraine
- 15 The threatened and near-threatened Aphyllophorales of Finland
- 16 Fungal conservation in Cuba
- 17 Microfungus diversity and the conservation agenda in Kenya
- 18 Fungi and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan: the process explained
- 19 The Scottish Wild Mushroom Forum
- 20 The contribution of national mycological societies: establishing a British Mycological Society policy
- 21 The contribution of national mycological societies: the Dutch Mycological Society and its Committee for Fungi and Nature Conservation
- 22 Fungal conservation in the 21st century: optimism and pessimism for the future
- Index
Summary
Introduction
Microfungi are rarely considered within conservation policies for a number of reasons: they are small, poorly known (especially in the tropics), extremely diverse, and their fruit bodies are often ephemeral. They are frequently perceived at best as not charismatic, and at worst as threats to other species. However, it is probably true to say that the majority of fungi would be describable as ‘microfungi’ and many are likely to berare and threatened. Nevertheless, they may play important roles in the ecosystem through positive interactions with other organisms, and they represent an enormous range of genetic and metabolic resources. Thus, consideration of microfungi in relation to the issues that are addressed in conservation programmes for African animals and plants is appropriate, and represents a valuable model for many other organism groups.
One of the principal barriers to the inclusion of microfungi as targets for conservation is knowing whether species are genuinely rare, or simply rarely recorded. With the assistance of the UK Government's Darwin Initiative, we have addressed this problem in Kenya by collecting and studying fungal species which are associated with rare and endangered plants, and which are likely to be host limited. We can then be confident that the fungi are at least narrowly distributed, and are threatened to at least the same degree as their plant hosts.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Fungal ConservationIssues and Solutions, pp. 197 - 208Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001