JoNeF Survey Report
A questionnaire-based survey was developed by the JoNeF (Joint Network for wild Fungi) project team and distributed from October to December 2023 to IMPEL and non-IMPEL member organizations, contacting experts and institutions that were interested in fungal conservation and data collection. Respondents from thirty-two European countries replied to the questionnaire. The responses showed the interest for the subject as well as differences between countries. Some European countries have developed laws, policies, and plans for the study of fungal diversity and its protection while others do not have any specific law on fungal conservation. This variability highlights the absence of a common European operational framework (or a common European directive), and therefore the lack of common environmental policies and scientific initiatives at European level. This lack affects the possibility of obtaining a homogeneous framework of knowledge on fungal diversity in European countries, since different data acquisition systems cannot be interoperable in absence of common rules.
It is our recommendation that the European Commission listen to the need to include fungi in environmental legislation and policies, following the requests that have been made over the years by the scientific community and considering the more recent knowledge acquired on fungi.