Fungi Foundation

From supporting more than 90% of plant species through underground fungal networks, to recycling nutrients, storing carbon, producing life-saving medicines, and making many of the foods we consume possible, fungi are fundamental to the health of ecosystems and human well-being. Despite their importance, we still know only a small fraction of the fungal diversity that exists on our planet 🌎🍄🟫 ➡️ Swipe to discover why we depend on fungi. #Fungi #Funga #Biodiversity #fungifoundation Information from SPUN | Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, Kew State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2026 and Fungi Foundation Photos by Carolina Magnasco and Giuliana Furci

🇧🇷🍄 Brazil’s funga makes history! The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has published the first Official National List of Threatened Fungal Species, recognizing 24 fungal species as threatened for the first time 👏. This milestone represents much more than a number: it marks the integration of funga into a system that had previously considered only flora and fauna. 💭 “The Flora, Fauna and Funga (3F) initiative helped spark a chain reaction of international efforts against the global invisibilization of fungi. It advocated for fungi to receive the same legal recognition and conservation priority already granted to animals and plants. In Brazil, the movement gained the momentum needed for scientists and the Ministry of the Environment to overcome decades of neglect and create the country’s first national list for fungal conservation,” says Elisandro Drechsler-Santos, mycologist, professor at the Micology Lab of Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, and one of the initiative’s advocates. This achievement is the result of years of collaborative work among mycologists, scientific institutions, the Flora e Funga do Brasil platform, the National Center for Flora Conservation, the IUCN Brazil Fungal Specialist Group, MICOLAB, and MIND.Funga. Brazil is demonstrating that it is possible to move from the invisibility of the fungi kingdom to its effective inclusion in conservation policy. And that when science, institutions, and political will work together, meaningful change is possible 🙌. 📸 Juliano Baltazar, María Alice Neves, Thiago Kossman Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima #Funga #FloraFaunaFunga #3F #Brasil

Fungi take up more mass than people 🤯 A new study published in Science Magazine has produced the first global map of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a group of underground fungi that form vast networks connected to plant roots. Using more than 16,000 soil samples and machine-learning models, researchers identified where these fungi are most likely to be found around the world. The study also found that these fungi collectively weigh around 300 megatons—roughly four to six times the mass of all humans on Earth. Their underground filaments are so extensive that, stretched end to end, they could reach from Earth to the Sun and back nearly a billion times. See how these hidden networks stretch across the planet ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dR7bZ3Z4 📸 Vasilis Kokkoris (VU Amsterdam/AMOLF/SPUN)

At first glance, this might look like nothing more than a dry twig on the forest floor… but it’s actually a fungus 👀🍄 Entomopathogenic fungi are a remarkable group of fungi that live as parasites of insects and other arthropods. Some species spend most of their lives hidden beneath the soil, emerging only when it’s time to reproduce. This specimen was found by mycologists Dinelly Soto and Daniela Torres during Fungi Foundation’s expedition to Queulat National Park in the Aysén Region of Chile 🇨🇱, hidden beneath thick quila bamboo in the temperate rainforest 🌿 It’s believed to be Ophiocordyceps cf. robertsii, a species that grows from the head of buried caterpillars — likely moth larvae 🐛 Its long, dark fruiting body can reach up to 20 cm, though most of it stays hidden underground. One of the most fascinating things about this fungus is its camouflage: from above, it blends almost perfectly with the surrounding sticks and forest debris. Only a closer look reveals the tiny black structures where its spores are produced. 📷 Catalina Infante and Dinelly Soto

Join us for the 46th version of the Telluride Mushroom Festival! 🙌 From workshops, presentations and forays, to networking spaces, live music, the Mycolicious Mycoluscious Mycological Poetry Show and the legendary Puff Ball costume dance party after the world-famous Mushroom Parade, this year’s edition promises an unforgettable experience 🤩 Giuliana Furci, who is a longtime faculty member of the festival, will once again join this iconic gathering dedicated to everything fungi 🍄 The 2026 festival lineup also includes Britt Bunyard, John Michelotti, Caro Arévalo, Art Goodtimes and William Padilla-Brown. We know attending festivals like this isn’t accessible or possible for everyone, but if this gathering resonates with you, we’d love to see you there sharing a few magical days of community, learning and fungi! 🗓 August 12th - 16th ➡️ Tickets available through the TELLURIDE INSTITUTE website Photos by Lisa Barlow #TellurideMushroomFestival #FungiFoundation #Mycology #Fungi #Mushroom

Jelly ear o wood ear 👂 (Auricularia auricula-judae) is a gelatinous fungus that almost looks like it’s listening from the forest. It grows on dead or dying wood, and prefers damp, shady environments where it usually appears in clusters. It is purplish-brown and forms soft, cup-like shapes when young. As it matures, these cups develop folds and lobes, taking on an ear-like appearance. The inner surface is smooth and slightly shiny ✨, while the outer side has a velvety texture. ❄️ One of its most curious traits: it can survive freezing temperatures, then thaw and keep growing as if nothing happened. 🍄 It’s edible and commonly used in Asian cuisine, especially in soups and stir-fries, where it adds a slightly crunchy texture. Have you tried it? 👀 📷 Oscar Betanzo #JellyEar #Auricularia #Mycology #fungi #fungifoundation

Fungi needs you! If you’re interested in helping raise awareness of the importance of fungi and crafting a strategy to better protect them - please come and join the Global Fungal Conservation Network.📢 We’re looking for voluntary experts to help with the implementation of the first ever Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation. This strategy will provide the actions needed for fungi and their habitats, which address the unique threats they face.🍄 We’re looking for a diverse range of expertise and knowledge, from across a variety of sectors including academia, research institutions, botanic gardens, NGOs, the private sector and local stakeholders. Essentially, we’re keen to hear from anyone interested in the conservation of fungi or the sustainable and ethical use of fungi. Now is your chance to join this dedicated and passionate group. Fill in the form here 👉 https://loom.ly/veJkn6M Cátia Canteiro Gregory M. Mueller

When we talk about nature, we tend to focus on flora and fauna — but fungi are still largely left out of the conversation 🍄 In a new article for Earth.Org, Jaida Faith explores why fungi deserve recognition as a kingdom of life essential to the health of our ecosystems, cultures, and future. We’re grateful to see the work of Fungi Foundation and the growing movement for fungi conservation highlighted ahead of COP17, where efforts continue to push for fungi to be recognized as an independent kingdom of life in international policy. ➡️ Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dHQg2JM5 Photo by Jaida Faith #Fungi #Mycology #Biodiversity #Conservation #COP17

‘One Tree’ is now available to watch online for a limited time 🎬🌳 Directed by filmmaker and NatGeo Explorer Mateo Barrenengoa, and narrated by Fungi Foundation's founder Giuliana Furci, this documentary takes us into the hidden and essential connections between fungi, plants, animals, and the changing seasons surrounding a single tree. Filmed over three years with the support of National Geographic Society, One Tree invites us to see forests differently, revealing how one lenga beech tree in the south of Chile can sustain an entire universe of life 🍄 📍Available online until May 17 ➡️ Watch it now at https://lnkd.in/g5Prb2Nf (it's free!) Don’t miss the chance to experience this beautiful documentary from wherever you are. #FungiFoundation #OneTree #Documentary #Fungi #SantiagoWild

We are deeply grateful to the extraordinary Chilean artist, activist, filmmaker, dancer and poet Cecilia Vicuña for helping forge a present and future in which fungi are protected, seen and felt. Cecilia has dedicated her Art Basel Gold Award donation to support our work for the conservation, of the incredible fungi, their habitats and the relationships with People who live with them 🍄 We warmly congratulate Cecilia again on this meaningful recognition, a well deserved award for an artist whose work continues to inspire worldwide. Though our Artistic Research program, we have strived since 2012 to bring fungi into the intersection of art and science, supporting the creation of artworks, curating exhibitions and fostering new ways of understanding the living world through artistic expression, a vision deeply aligned with Cecilia’s practice. 📷 Photos: Thomas Müller & Thomas Merle #CeciliaVicuña #ArtBasel #FungiFoundation #funga