The ABFG way ahead with fungi foraying and recording

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One of the best ways of enhancing your scope, enjoyment and knowledge of fungi is to join a local group. Invariably the range of experience within the group enables you to pace yourself accordingly in quenching your thirst for more information about the ever increasing number of species you will find. But there is more to it than acquiring personal knowledge! Amongst the group there will be those who, on realising that more than ever before our fungi need protection from the damaging effects of over-picking, climate change and altered land use, have extended their interest beyond merely finding and trying to identify individual species. They contribute records. By feeding vital information into local and national databases, they are exercising their desire to pay-back for the pleasure of foraying.
To record the fungi you encounter, you do not have to be an official group recorder. Some of the most valuable data is obtained and supplied by individuals. As an ‘umbrella’ conservation body, the ABFG* advises and assists not only existing and prospective organizations, but also individuals, in support of their foraying activities. Consistent with the Association’s aim to generate as much data as possible that can be used to develop Important Fungus Areas maps, Biodiversity Action Plans and Red Lists of threatened and vulnerable species, the ABFG opens the way to registered users further populating its national CATE database, and this facility is accessible to any interested party.
The ABFG relies on the support of an increasing number of members to maintain its objectives, so see the organization’s website for more information about benefits of becoming an ABFG member. These include contact with local groups, use of the online national CATE fungal database, the quarterly colour magazine, The Forayer, access to mycological stains, reagents and other equipment, and public liability insurance whilst foraying. But above all, supporting the work of the ABFG, the UK’s main mycological conservation charity, brings benefit to the fungi themselves.
You know it makes sense to go forward!

*Association of Bristish Fungus Groups http://www.abfg.org/

[Michael Jordan]

If I may amplify David's very kind and unsolicited ABFG promotion concerning fungal data.

In the last decade three mycological conservation projects involving data, the Important Fungus Areas project, the Biodiversity Action Plan list, and perhaps most importantly the Red Data list of threatened and vulnerable UK fungi, have failed to come up to scratch for an assortment of reasons. These include ongoing management problems, and the shortage hitherto of an efficient, modern, functional UK fungus records database. Quantity does not always equate with quality and having a vast store of records on a database doesn't necessarily provide a good enough means of analysis.

The CATE project has resulted in an outstanding analytical online capability for researchers. In the space of less than 2 years it has received delivery of well in excess of a third of a million UK fungal records and its recording system is second to none. As more and more county groups and county records centres deliver their fungal data into the system, the gaps become smaller. But these sources are not enough, as David rightly points out.

WAB has a large potential force amongst it fungus forum members to boost the uptake of data to CATE and the Association requests your help. We are looking to reach the 1 million records target in the next 12 months, so that we can start to move on some of those vital conservation projects exploiting the quantitative analysis of records that CATE now makes possible.

Some of WAB members already deliver their records but we need more of you. Independent recorders, saving data within their capabilities (and this is important), are providing vital records that we would not otherwise necessarily obtain.

Come and talk to us.

Michael Jordan
CEO - ABFG

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And if, in a manner of speaking, you wish to 'try before you buy' why not air your views and queries through discussion on the subject with other interested parties:

The Association of British Fungus Groups • View forum - CATE

David