In January 2023, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) created a new specialist group to focus on the conservation of Brazilian fungi: the IUCN SSC Brazil Fungal Specialist Group (iucnbrazfun.com, @iucnfungibrazil and iucnssc_fungibrazil). As a megadiverse country with key biodiversity hotspots, Brazil and its fauna, flora and funga face numerous challenges related to threats such as climate change and anthropogenic activities. This is of particular concern in centres of endemism, which for fungi include the Araucaria and cloud forests of southern Brazil. As there is currently no public policy to include fungi in the conservation agenda in Brazil, in part because of the absence of an official national Red List for fungi (for an unofficial national list, see mindfunga.ufsc.br/mind–funga), the diversity of fungi is being neglected by decision-makers, despite their importance for ecosystem dynamics and health.

With a vision of Brazil as a country that values and conserves fungi, the new specialist group was formed by a diverse group of Brazilian mycologists and lichenologists with a common aim to include fungi in species conservation programmes, environmental legislation, public policy, ecosystem management and science outreach initiatives. These efforts have already included the assessment of fungal species for the IUCN Red List (Mueller et al., 2022, Diversity, 14, 736), promotion of integrative approaches for fungal conservation (Costa-Rezende et al., 2022, Oryx, 56, 13), capacity building and scientific popularization and communication.

The next steps for the new specialist group include: (1) a series of initiatives to disseminate and strengthen the group in Brazil and elsewhere, (2) the promotion of IUCN Red Listing workshops and training of specialists in the application of the Red List categories and criteria, (3) periodic updating of the list of Brazilian fungal species as part of the Flora and Funga of Brazil Project (floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br), (4) political engagement at municipal, state and federal levels, and (5) scientific outreach to specialists and the general public highlighting the importance of fungal conservation. If these initial goals are met, we expect that Brazil will be recognized as a country that values and conserves its fungi and contributes to the Reverse the Red Initiative.

Parmotrema pachydermum (Hue) O. Blanco, A. Crespo, Divakar, Elix & Lumbsch, a Critically Endangered lichen species. Photo: Adriano Spielmann.