World’s fungi at risk from agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl – experts

More than 1,000 of the world’s fungi species have been assessed for their extinction risk, revealing many of the “unsung heroes” of life on Earth are under threat.

The finding comes in the latest update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species, which also reveals that frankincense trees face an increasing risk of extinction.

The overall red list now includes 169,420 species of animals, plants and fungi, of which 47,187 are threatened with extinction, scientists said.

While only a fraction of the world’s 155,000 known fungi – of an estimated 2.5 million species – have been assessed for their extinction risk, the number has grown with the addition of 482 newly analysed species, bringing their number on the red list to 1,300.

Of those species, at least 411 are threatened with extinction, at risk from agricultural and urban expansion, clear cutting of old growth forests, climate change and pollution, with some species facing multiple threats.

Conservationists behind the red list warned that it was time to safeguard the “extraordinary fungal kingdom” which sustains nature and life on Earth.

Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN director general, said: “Fungi are the unsung heroes of life on Earth, forming the very foundation of healthy ecosystems – yet they have long been overlooked.

“Thanks to the dedication of experts and citizen scientists, we have taken a vital step forward: over 1,000 of the world’s 155,000 known fungal species have now been assessed for the IUCN red list of threatened species, the most comprehensive source of information on extinction risk.

“Now, it’s time to turn this knowledge into action and safeguard the extraordinary fungal kingdom, whose vast underground networks sustain nature and life as we know it.”

The growth in agricultural and urban areas has replaced fungi habitats, putting 279 species at risk of extinction, while nitrogen and ammonia run-off from fertilisers and engine pollution threatens 91 fungi.

At least 198 species are at risk from deforestation, with clear-cutting of old growth forests particularly damaging, while more than 50 species are at risk of extinction due to changing fire patterns in the US as a result of climate change, the IUCN said.

Professor Anders Dahlberg, co-ordinator for the IUCN’s mushroom, bracket and puffball specialist group, said: “While fungi mainly live hidden underground and inside wood, their loss impacts the life above-ground that depends on them.

“As we lose fungi, we impoverish the ecosystem services and resilience they provide, from drought and pathogen resistance in crops and trees to storing carbon in the soil.

He added: “It is important that more old-growth forests are protected. Forestry practices should consider fungi, for example leaving dead wood and scattered trees, and proactive forest management can help manage fire intensity.”

The IUCN red list also warns that five species of frankincense tree on Socrota Island, Yemen, have moved from vulnerable to extinction to the higher-risk category of endangered, and one from vulnerable to critically endangered.

Three species have been assessed for the first time and are considered to be in the most at-risk category of critically endangered, as the trees face increased grazing by goats, and more extreme weather.