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Updating the action plan of the national strategy for the conservation of fungi in Cuba

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2023

J. Mena-Portales Open the ORCID record for J. Mena-Portales [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Camino Vilaró Open the ORCID record for M. Camino Vilaró [Opens in a new window]  and
D.W. Minter Open the ORCID record for D.W. Minter [Opens in a new window]
J. Mena-Portales*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, Havana, Cuba.
M. Camino Vilaró
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, Havana, Cuba.
D.W. Minter
Affiliation:
CABI, Egham, UK
*
jmena@ecologia.cu
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Abstract

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Type
Conservation News
Information
Oryx , Volume 57 , Issue 4 , July 2023 , pp. 422
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International

The Strategy for the Conservation of Fungal Diversity in Cuba (cybertruffle.org.uk/cubacons/index.html) was concluded during the implementation of the Fungi of the Caribbean project (1997–2000), which was funded by the UK Darwin Initiative. The strategy was a key reference for national and international projects but given the time since its preparation, an update of the Strategy's Action Plan was required. The Action Plan was updated through workshop discussions in which members of the project Implementation of the Strategy for the Conservation of Fungal Diversity in Cuba (2019–2021) and relevant invited specialists participated. In these discussions, the Action Plan was analysed to ensure it corresponds to the goals and actions of the National Programme on Biological Diversity. The update of the Action Plan was published in November 2022 (Mena-Portales et al., 2022, Acta Botánica Cubana, 221, 438).

Of the 65 actions in the updated Action Plan, 22 are currently being carried out related to: (1) the awareness of Cuban society in general, and some target groups in particular, of the importance of fungal conservation, (2) scientific research and technological innovation, monitoring and evaluation of fungal diversity and institutional strengthening, (3) assessment of the conservation status of Cuban mycobiota using the IUCN Red List criteria, (4) integrated agroecological pest management, including the use of fungi as biofertilizers and for biological control, (5) the inclusion of information about fungi in the approval and management of protected areas of national and local significance, (6) in situ and ex situ conservation of the genetic diversity of fungal species, with emphasis on species useful for food and agriculture, and (7) the incorporation of fungal species into methodologies for the restoration and/or rehabilitation of priority ecosystems and landscapes.

This update of the Action Plan is essential for advancing efforts to conserve not only the mycobiota, but also the habitats, ecosystems and landscapes where these organisms play a leading role.