A Dubai-based researcher has joined a 30-country effort to bring fungi into conservation planning, while projects at her workplace are building regional reference tools for a field Gulf News said remains poorly documented.
The initiative, called the Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation, was launched at COP17, the U.N. biodiversity conference in Armenia, on Oct. 21, Gulf News reported. The outlet described it as the first global strategy devoted to fungal conservation.
Georgina Pereira co-wrote the strategy with experts from 30 countries; she is Species Survival Manager at Terra's IUCN SSC Centre for Species Survival Fungi in Expo City Dubai. Gulf News said her contribution brings a regional perspective to conservation policy and practice, where fungi have often been overlooked.
The research gap is particularly pronounced in the Middle East, especially in the Arabian Peninsula’s dry habitats, according to the report. Fungi help maintain soil health, support plant life and contribute to resilient ecosystems in arid environments.
Terra researchers are working on two projects: the UAE’s first national macrofungi checklist and a database covering fungi across the Arabian Peninsula. Gulf News reported that these efforts accompany research and species assessments intended to address knowledge gaps and provide a scientific basis for future conservation work.
Pereira said the strategy offers a framework for turning gaps in knowledge into conservation action. She also described Terra’s work to build regional scientific knowledge and cooperation so fungi in arid environments receive greater attention.
