The Missing Kingdom: Why Fungi Must Be Central to Conservation Strategy

Conservation has traditionally focused on fauna and flora, the two kingdoms that dominate public attention. Fungi, though equally essential to life on Earth, are missing from most global conservation policies, strategies, and funding frameworks. The gap is not just an oversight; it’s an ecological blind spot that threatens biodiversity, climate, food security, and human wellbeing.

Fungi decompose, recycle, and regenerate life. Many species are keystones in their ecosystems. They break down dead matter, form symbioses with over 90% of all plants, sustain soils, and enable nutrient flows.

Fungi capture carbon and help ecosystems withstand drought, heat, and nutrient stress. Despite being largely invisible, fungi are highly biodiverse, with up to 3 million species estimated. Yet, fewer than 1% are described, and less than 0.05% have been assessed for extinction risk.

Why aren’t we talking about fungi?

Linnaean taxonomy, colonial collecting, and museum systems prioritized large vertebrates and vascular plants. This legacy continues in the form of funding models that reward emotional appeal and visibility. Fungi are hard to photograph, relate to, or market. They don’t make for appealing visuals.

A 25-year study reveals that 82.9% of conservation funding goes to vertebrates, with fungi and algae receiving less than 0.2%. There is also a science gap. Fungi are severely understudied in many regions due to a lack of mycologists, lab infrastructure, and field data.

What could happen?

Protecting ecosystems without fungal networks is a half measure. Whole ecosystems could collapse. A review of the first 600+ global fungal Red List assessments shows nearly 50% are threatened, primarily due to habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and pollution.

Their omission also weakens nature-based solutions. Fungi are essential in carbon cycling, methane oxidation, soil formation, and human nutrition. They tackle food insecurity and offer new therapeutic opportunities, including antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and potential treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

The Local Support

There’s a synergy here in MENA. Much like fungi, the region has often been underestimated, considered too arid, too new, or too ambitious. Yet over the past decade, the UAE, for example, has emerged as a global convener of climate dialogue and conservation, with Terra at Expo City Dubai becoming home to the IUCN Centre for Species Survival - Fungi.

This is not just a symbol; it’s a regional shift toward conservation that doesn’t just preserve what is seen, but protects what sustains life beneath the surface.

The fungi-focused Red List assessments are not isolated efforts; they’re part of a broader movement. We collaborate with regional partners to assess at-risk fungal species and incorporate fungi into protected area management and landscape planning.

Training is provided to conservationists, rangers, youth, and government officials to recognise and monitor fungi. Additionally, we advocate for fungi in national biodiversity strategies, regional planning, and global targets.

Citizen science initiatives such as the City Nature Challenge, and the Jane Goodall Pollinator Garden, help engage the public in understanding the ecosystem.

Rewriting the funding frameworks

Conservation needs to move beyond silos. Flora, fauna, and fungi must be understood in concert through cross-kingdom strategies that reflect how ecosystems really function.

We need new ways for fungal data collection, habitat protection, and mycology training. Digitizing collections like the Royal Botanic Gardens’ fungarium, in Kew, United Kingdom, with more than a million specimens, is a start. From molecular sequencing to spatial mapping, fungal data are foundational to conservation.

If fungi remain invisible to funders, policymakers, and the public, they will remain excluded from solutions. Design, education, and narrative-building must meet the moment. This is where cultural institutions are essential, bridging science with public imagination and turning hidden networks into teachable moments. Fungi have long been the missing kingdom in conservation. Now, we have the opportunity and responsibility to put them back at the center.

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