Act now for fungal conservation: urgent calls to address knowledge gaps and protect strategic biological resources
image: This schematic illustrates a comprehensive, data-driven strategy for the conservation of global fungal diversity, structured in two interconnected phases. The upper phase establishes the foundational workflow: first, the collection of fundamental data, encompassing the description of new fungal species, systematic recording of known species’ occurrences, and exploration of untapped application potential of fungi. These baseline data then feed into multi-scale data analyses, which are conducted across three hierarchical levels: (1) the species level, focused on evaluating strategic conservation values; (2) the group level, centered on investigating adaptive evolutionary patterns; and (3) the regional level, aimed at elucidating spatiotemporal distribution dynamics. The lower phase translates these analytical insights into actionable conservation practice. It prioritizes conservation efforts across species, taxonomic groups, and geographic regions, supported by long-term monitoring implemented through permanent sample plots. Critically, this iterative monitoring process also serves to advance and refine the theoretical framework of fungal conservation biology, creating a closed-loop system that links empirical data, multi-scale analysis, on-the-ground conservation action, and theoretical development. This holistic approach addresses the critical knowledge gaps in fungal diversity and provides a roadmap for evidence-based, sustainable fungal conservation worldwide.
Credit: Shi-Liang Liu, Dong-Mei Liu, and Li-Wei Zhou.
Date: April 16, 2026
Beijing, China: Fungi, one of Earth's most speciose and ecologically vital eukaryotic groups, face critical conservation challenges amid massive knowledge gaps and human-driven environmental changes, according to a pivotal opinion article published in Biological Diversity by a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Led by Li-Wei Zhou of the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study underscores the urgency of immediate action to conserve fungal diversity, framing fungi as irreplaceable strategic biological resources for human society.
Fungal Diversity: Severe Knowledge Gaps and Human Impacts
Estimated to include 2–3 million species worldwide, over 90% of fungi remain undescribed, with their distribution, trait evolution and spatiotemporal patterns far less understood than those of animals and plants. Human activities—from plastic pollution creating novel fungal niches to global warming releasing cryospheric fungi into human habitats—are reshaping fungal diversity, while habitat destruction may drive countless fungal species to extinction before they are even documented. The invisibility of most fungal life stages (e.g., mycelia) and a focus on describing new species over monitoring known ones have further widened conservation knowledge gaps.
A Three-Tiered Framework for Fungal Conservation
The study outlines a three-tiered conservation framework centered on species recognition and multi-scale analysis: prioritizing the description of fungi in unique niches (e.g., cryosphere, plastisphere) and basal evolutionary lineages; systematically recording known species' occurrences, genetic and phenotypic diversity; and exploring the untapped application potential of fungi in medicine synthesis, waste degradation, and agricultural productivity. It also calls for revised conservation assessments that integrate phylogenetic diversity and application value (beyond just distribution data) to identify priority species, groups and regions.
Targeted Actions and Urgent Calls for Fungal Protection
Highlighting the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains as a key biodiversity hotspot for targeted conservation, the researchers advocate for establishing permanent sample plots for long-term fungal monitoring, and building fungaria and culture collections for ex-situ preservation. With molecular sequencing and remote sensing technologies advancing rapidly, the team stresses that now is the critical window to collect comprehensive fungal data, develop evidence-based conservation theories, and protect these underappreciated yet essential organisms—for the future of both fungi and human well-being.
Original Source
Liu, Shi-Liang, Dong-Mei Liu, and Li-Wei Zhou. 2024. "The Future Is Now: How to Conserve Fungi." Biological Diversity 1(1): 6–8.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.12003
About the Author
Shi-Liang Liu (First Author), PhD, Associate Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Mycology and Innovative Technology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research mainly focuses on the resources and systematics of macrofungi, with a core focus on the investigation of fungal diversity, taxonomic research and studies related to fungal conservation biology.
Dong-Mei Liu (First Author), PhD, Senior Engineer (Researcher-level) at the Institute of Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. She has long been dedicated to the fields of biodiversity conservation, fungal diversity conservation, and ecological survey and assessment.
Li-Wei Zhou (Corresponding Author), PhD, Project Researcher, Principal Investigator and PhD Supervisor at the State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has long been dedicated to the research of fungal taxonomy, systematic evolution and conservation biology. Meanwhile, he focuses on the exploitation and utilization of medicinal fungi and lignin-degrading fungal resources.
About the Journal
Biological Diversity (ISSN: 2994-4139) is a new open-access, high-impact, English-language journal, devoted to advancing biodiversity conservation, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting the sustainable use of resources under global change. It features innovative research addressing the global biodiversity crisis.