A group of more than 800 scientists have created a new global agreement called “The 2030 Declaration on Scientific Plant and Fungal Collecting”. The declaration seeks to bring together botanists to coordinate their efforts in finding new species, particularly in unexplored regions where climate change threatens biodiversity.
While we know about most of Earth’s plants, with only 15% yet to be discovered, fungi are a different story, with 90% still remaining unknown to science. This means millions of fungi species could disappear before we even know they exist.
The team developed their strategy through workshops at the 2023 State of the World’s Plants and Fungi symposium. Scientists from 31 countries came together to identify priority areas for exploration and agree on five key commitments for future collecting efforts: 1) Use evidence-based collection strategies; 2) Strengthen local capacity; 3) Collaborate across taxa and disciplines; 4) Collect for the future and 5) Share the benefits.
Previous collecting efforts were often disconnected, with scientists working independently in their preferred regions. This new declaration builds on earlier work but takes a coordinated global approach, ensuring resources are used more effectively to discover new species.
Antonelli, A., Teisher, J.K., Smith, R.J., Ainsworth, A.M., Furci, G., Gaya, E., Gonçalves, S.C., Hawksworth, D.L., Larridon, I., et al. (2024). The 2030 Declaration on Scientific Plant and Fungal Collecting. Plants, People, Planet (OA) https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10569
