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.