Protection of fungi.

[Morchella]

I suspect the red list might be of more use in a planning situation than protecting from individuals. Haven't yet had a rare fungus come up in an ecological survey but found this old thread:

Fungi stops school

Laura

[chazzpott]

Some interesting thoughts and comments, many of which I agree with. I forage for Edible fungi, but only for my own use. Only once did I collect for profit and then I only got 20 quid I collect responsibly and the small amount gathered makes no impression, as I always leave a few 'shrooms unpicked. Sometimes I even move a sporulating 'shroom to a different part of the woods to help it spread
I appreciate that the majority of pickers would probably not do most of these things, least of all people indiscriminately collecting for profit. However, nearly every time I go looking for 'shrooms there are some that are too old or too tatty and nibbled to pick. And surely the mushrooms would have dropped at least some spores before they were picked. Also, lets not forget that the fungus we pick is only the fruiting body of the fungal organism. Is it really so different from plucking an apple from a tree?
Anyway, I digress.

It seems that no fungi are currently protected by law.
Considering how essential fungi are in the Great Scheme of things, this is surely wrong. Jonbem's musings are interesting, but don't we all have a responsibility to everything and everyone to at least try to do something.

What do you think? Should certain fungi be protected by law?

[nightshade]

There are lots of quiet unassuming people foraging around the countryside, have been for years. It is when someone decides to invite hundreds of people to come and forage that the pressure starts to build. Another example is Blue bells, I used to walk through hazel coppice for miles all carpeted with bluebells
Then someone said free wild flowers and these delicate blooms were picked by the armsfull, the stems flattening and twisting, the bells flattened by the sheer weight from those above. Bicycle loads, motorcycle-combination loads, car loads, then to add insult to injury they dug up the bulbs.
When you really look at the uk mainland and its resources it is overcrowded enormous tracts of open agricultural land and buildings, factories, houses, which is why our wildlife is under such pressure. Incidently a committee on sustainable population in Britain came up with a figure of 36,000000 !! we are now at 61,113,205 and climbing. One person quietly foraging, fine exhorting the membership of WAB (40,000+) to do the same, bearing in mind that each individual knows at least three others, collecting fungi could end up like a shoulder to shoulder fingertip search line.

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by chazzpott

It seems that no fungi are currently protected by law.



What do you think? Should certain fungi be protected by law?

When I found what I thought to be my first Oak Polypore I had to get a licence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act just to take a sample to send to Kew. So there is some sort of protection already in place. Whether it is enforceable or not is another matter.

Mal

[fairplay]

The highest protection given to fungal species in England is Section 41 NERC.
The next protection is Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species of which there are rather more.

Only 4 species have Sect 41 NERC protection, which is a pretty poor show.

To learn a little more just type into Google 'nerc fungal species'

Neil.

[mollisia]

Hello,

my personal sight of things is, that laws to protect single species only make sense if those species are endangered by direct single human activity (such as hunting for skin, for trophies etc.). But if species are endangered by change of environement, change of landscape, intesivying forestry etc. then it is important to protect whole biotops. In fungi there is no significance that single human activity harms any species (except exhaustive professional collecting with rude methods, e.g. combing Tricholoma equestre out of sandy soil and destroying the whole biotop). In contrast there is evidence from long term studies, that picking fruitbodies has nearly no influence to a location.
Conclusion is very clear:
Protecting fungi is only possible via protecting their biotops.Means we have to stop the nitrification of our nature, which is the biggest reason for decline of fungi. We have to stop intensivying forestry and come back to a forest with mixed trees in all stages of age. And we have to stop lowering the ground water level, stop to dry moores, bogs, fens etc. Those things would really help!
But to protect a certain species from getting picked here and there accidentally by someone will not safe any of the endangered species.

On the other hand I'm also the opinion, that unethical to knowingly collect species which are endangered. None of us is forced to pick mushrooms to prevent from starving. So there is no need to collect those, which are endangered, there are some many others which are not.

But to make a law to "protect" fungi (from mushroom pickers) will bring to the public mind, that mushroom picking made these species so rare. Otherwise it would not be logical to have a law to prevent them from picking. So the real reasons, why those species are declining are shifted to us, the mushroom pickers, who can not the slightest be blamed for this decline!

This is why I'm against such laws, but fight for every species I can bring into a context with nature conservation. We have to create european red data lists, to bring the problems fungi have into the mind of politicals, we have to try to bring fungi species in conservation plans, we have to fight that they come in mind when nature conservation actions are planned. "Everyone" must know that thousands of fungi species are declining and that they are significant for declining biotops. That they are probably the best indicators for changes in environment and therefor one of the best tools for classifying the value of biotops. There we have to spend all our efforts to. To learn as much as possible about their ecology, so that we can use them for classifying biotops. Fungi are marvellous indicators, and can be taken in some biotops which are poor of indicator species of animals or plants. E.g. mesophilic grass land, extensive grazed grass land etc. Also there are fungi which are significant for long time extensive forest management or even undisturbed forests. Those fungi have to be our aim, and we will bring them also in the mind of the "ordinary" people. Such more or less foolish laws to "protect" fungi from being picked don't safe as any species but bring a wrong picture into the mind of the people.

Uff, sorry for this waterfall, I could write another ten pages about that. It really upsets me sometimes ....

bestr egards,
Andreas

[fairplay]

And I could easily read another 10 pages of your very valuable contribution Andreas.

Neil.

[Dorts]

I have never seen evidence that the picking of fungi threatens that plant in any way other than stopping its opportunity to spread. Just as picking the flowers from an herbaceous plant will not kill that plant, but will stop it from spreading seed.

The removal of the 'fruit body' does not kill the underground mycelia from which they are growing. So,in most cases it is fine to 'pick'. Most of the body of a fungus is hidden in the ground or in dead wood. The mushrooms and toadstools that we see are temporary, spore-producing organs. Therefore picking most mushrooms and toadstools does not kill the organism.

The habitat in or on which the fungi is living is what is most important if a species is to survive. If a species is rare or threatened, then every effort should be made to preserve its habitat and to allow it to 'fruit' and produce spores. This is true also with species which normally 'fruit' on trees, even though it probably means the tree is weak or old, it is important that other such old trees are alowed to stay to become the fungi's next host.

But as with all things re: picking mushrooms and toadstools; best in moderation, leave some for others, and if there are only a very few, leave alltogether
Dorts.

[Chris Yeates]

A (slightly) interesting take on this, a friend of mine - a naturalist, though not a mycologist - knows a very good site for morels in Yorkshire.

He and three friends/partners go there on one particular weekend every year and that's it - some years they get nothing and other years they have collected enough to swap surplus for a case of extremely good wine with a restaurant owner, and of course because of the seasonality of these things they will always get a variable result (plus they would never 'pick out' the site on any visit anyway).

I have no idea of where that site is and even if they told me, because of this interesting collecting policy they have, I would not go myself.

My only personal gripe with the collecting for the table school of things (and if I find sufficient I do collect myself I freely admit) is the "look at how much I collected spread out over this table" photo's sometimes posted on WAB - it tends to remind me of those dumb people you see on websites cradling the antlered heads of their recent conquest . . . . boasting is rarely attractive

Chris

[alge]

Do we have to go through the whole boring thread repetition again about gateways into the subject area and sharing the joy of a rare event with those who may have inspired an individual to progress their knowledge a little. Comparing many of the wab fungi forum visitors/subscribers/contributors to [those dumb people you see on websites cradling the antlered heads of their recent conquest] is a more than a bit fierce and wholly unacceptable..... one using ones authority on any given subject as justification to vent ones spleen at others less knowledgeable is rarely attractive.