Within the next decade, fungal taxonomy, the science of describing and identifying fungi, risks extinction in the UK unless the government immediately intervenes, CABI scientists warn. A recent House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report, 'Systematics and taxonomy: follow-up', concluded that an absence of government leadership is damaging the health of systematics and taxonomy, and called for the UK government to provide £750,000 to ensure the maintenance of CABI's collection of fungi. CABI is a non-profit agricultural research organisation.
Evidence submitted to this report shows that there are fewer than 10 mycologists (scientists who study fungi) left in the UK and almost all are nearing retirement age. No mycologists are currently employed at universities and there is no formal training of education in fungal systematics and taxonomy in the UK at any level.
Other evidence given to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee by CABI and partners included the absence of systematic mycology at undergraduate and masters level. This should be urgently addressed and information about fungi should be added to the school national curriculum, says the report. The report called for a need to provide meaningful and usable information online on fungal diversity. For taxonomic mycology the highest priority is making sure that people working with biodiversity conservation, climate change and similar topics have easy access to understandable information about when and where fungi occur.
CABI has a worldwide remit to provide support (mostly funded by third parties) to systematics research with a focus on developing countries. It founded and hosts BioNET, recognised under the UN as 'the most comprehensive network' for taxonomy, to build capacity in countries with low financial resources. The UK taxonomic institutions have a unique heritage and could provide substantially greater support to less-developed nations with dedicated resources, it has been observed.
