IUCN 1,300 Fungi Species Assessed, 411 Threatened

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The IUCN Red List has confirmed a grim milestone: over 1,000 fungi species now face extinction threats, with 411 species at high risk of disappearing forever

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Agricultural expansion, urbanization, and chemical runoff have destroyed natural fungi habitats, endangering 279 species across their once-thriving ecosystems

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Deforestation hits fungi particularly hard, with 198 species threatened by timber harvesting and land clearing that destroys environments where these organisms evolved over millennia

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Climate change has dramatically altered fire patterns, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where changing forest composition has pushed species like Gastroboletus citrinobrunneus to the endangered list.

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Most plants rely on fungal partnerships to survive, making fungi extinction a hidden crisis that threatens global food security and ecosystem stability

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Scientists estimate Earth hosts about 2.5 million fungal species, but only 155,000 have been formally named—leaving countless species at risk of vanishing before discovery.

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Conservation solutions must extend beyond protecting charismatic animals to safeguarding fungi, including preserving old-growth forests and modifying timber harvesting practices to maintain dead wood and scattered trees.

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Fungi are the unsung heroes of life on Earth," warns IUCN Director General Dr. Grethel Aguilar, calling for urgent action to protect the vast underground networks sustaining nature.

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In northern Europe alone, 30% of old-growth pine forests have disappeared since 1975, threatening specialized fungi like the vulnerable giant knight mushroom that cannot survive in replanted areas

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