Fungi are the future: Realizing the potential of fungi in policy

Edited by: MICHELLE PETERS1 AND JENNIFER A. CASCINO2

Fungi have been an important source of food and medicine for humans for centuries and are ubiquitous in both land and ocean environments. However, fungi are understudied when compared to plants, animals, and bacteria, so far less is known about their roles in these environments. This knowledge gap results in public policies and climate change response strategies that often fail to account for fungi. This review seeks to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of fungi in human, land, and ocean ecosystems and to outline opportunities for broadening our knowledge about fungi to better inform public policy.

Highlights

1. Fungi play important environmental roles both on land and in water, and they directly benefit humans. Yet they have only recently been recognized as a distinct biological kingdom of organisms.

2. As causative agents of disease, fungal pathogens have significant impacts on plants and animals, including humans and endangered species.

3. Fungi engage in beneficial interactions with plants and decompose biological matter, cycling nutrients between organisms and the environment.

4. While fungi could have numerous indispensable contributions to global sustainability, conservation, economics, and technological advancements, this cannot be actualized without their representation in policy and climate change strategy.

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