What is FunDive?
FunDive is a pan-European initiative funded by Biodiversa+ that brings together 33 partners in 22 countries to improve fungal monitoring across the continent. The goal of FunDive is to close the knowledge gap dealing with fungal distributions to improve fungal conservation using the help from you and other citizen scientists.
Why is fungal monitoring important?
Fungi are generally under-studied. Their global distribution patterns are poorly resolved. Also in Europe, despite centuries of fungal research, there is a lack of the distribution patterns of many fungi. However, this knowledge is very important for effective conservation practices. For example, assessments of species for the IUCN Red List require an understanding of the distribution of said species.
What can you do?
FunDive is structured in different projects, each focusing on a specific target group of fungi. You can engage in each project by documenting and collecting fungal specimens. The process is simple: find a representative of a target species, make a photo of it, document it in PlutofGO, and send it to your country-level point of contact. Your specimen will be processed in our database and identified based on molecular information. You can follow your fungus on FunDive records.