Trending 
A shift is underway in Africa’s biodiversity agenda as scientists and conservation groups push to formally include fungi alongside plants and animals, forcing a rethink of how ecosystems are measured, carbon is accounted for, and conservation funding is allocated, according to a recent analysis by The Guardian.
The report, published in April 2026, frames this as the emergence of an African fungal conservation movement, linking new scientific evidence with coordinated advocacy across the continent.
“Fungi are some of the most important things in the world,” Malagasy scientist Anna Ralaiveloarisoa told The Guardian. “They feed 90% of terrestrial plants. Without them, there is no life on the Earth.”
Structural gap in conservation frameworks
Researchers and conservationists across Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Zimbabwe are now pushing to reposition fungi within conservation frameworks that have historically excluded them.
“Most conservation frameworks were not designed to capture fungal systems. That means decisions are being made on incomplete data,” Fredrick Nyawanga of the Kenya Forest Service said.
Scientists cited in the analysis said this omission is foundational.
New tools revealing undocumented ecosystems
Environmental DNA mapping and soil microbiome research are now enabling measurement of fungal biodiversity at scale, revealing that vast underground ecosystems remain largely undocumented.
“Science is catching up with how ecosystems actually work. Once you can measure what was invisible, you change how decisions are made,” Nyawanga said.
In Madagascar, the fungal baseline remains largely unbuilt. Researchers are working to classify species within a biodiversity framework where fewer than one percent of an estimated 100,000 fungi have been formally described.
Policy milestones
Benin marked a policy inflection point in 2025. The International Congress on Fungal Conservation convened mycologists from 27 countries and produced the Cotonou Declaration, which calls for the inclusion of fungi in conservation frameworks at local, national, and global levels.
Ghana has moved into field-level mapping. The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), working with the University of Ghana, has conducted mycorrhizal sampling across coastal and tropical forest ecosystems identified as high-diversity zones.
South Africa is building the technical layer. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is applying DNA barcoding within environmental monitoring systems.
In coastal Kenya, a 2026 project led by Pwani University, in partnership with the National Museums of Kenya and the University of Nairobi, is documenting soil biodiversity in agro-ecosystems, including beneficial and parasitic fungi.
In Zambia, African Parks is deploying its MENA platform, which combines environmental DNA sequencing with ecological network analysis to measure biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.
Early steps showing direction
The Guardian analysis points to these efforts as early signals of a broader shift, with research, policy discussions, and fieldwork beginning to align around fungal conservation.
“These are early steps, but they show direction. Countries are starting to build the data systems that conservation has been missing,” Nyawanga said.
Significant policy gap remains
Current biodiversity frameworks still largely exclude fungi from formal reporting systems, conservation targets, and funding structures, creating a measurable distortion in how ecosystems are valued, particularly in carbon accounting and land restoration metrics.
“In Africa, the implications are more pronounced. The continent hosts vast and largely undocumented fungal biodiversity across tropical forests, savannahs, and agricultural systems,” Nyawanga said.
“Yet most national conservation strategies continue to prioritize above-ground indicators, meaning a significant share of ecological value remains uncounted.”
What is not measured is not funded
The Guardian analysis notes that biodiversity and carbon systems rely on measurable indicators to allocate resources.
“What is not measured is not funded,” Nyawanga said. “Fungi sit at the centre of soil productivity and carbon processes, yet they are missing from the metrics that drive financing.”
The 2025 fungal conservation congress in Cotonou, Benin, marked a turning point, bringing the issue onto the African scientific and policy agenda. Participants issued the Cotonou Declaration, calling for formal recognition of fungi in conservation policy.
Global campaigns emerging
Parallel to this, global campaigns are emerging to institutionalise the shift. The Fungal Conservation Pledge, launched within the Convention on Biological Diversity processes, is pushing countries to recognise fungi as a distinct kingdom within biodiversity frameworks.
Tracking tools such as the Fungal Conservation Tracker are also being developed to monitor how countries integrate fungi into policy and conservation practice.
These developments signal a transition from awareness to early-stage implementation.
Fungi linked to productivity
Policy discussions are increasingly linking fungal systems to agroforestry, soil restoration, and climate resilience strategies.
“This is not just conservation, it is productivity,” Nyawanga said. “Fungal systems directly affect yields, soil stability, and long-term land use.”
Broader implication
The move from flora and fauna to flora, fauna, and funga shifts the focus from visible ecosystems to functional systems.
For Africa, this could alter its ecological narrative. The continent has long been positioned within global conservation frameworks primarily through its wildlife and forest assets. Incorporating fungi introduces a deeper, less visible, but potentially more significant layer of ecological value.
“The science is clear. The gap is in implementation. The question is how quickly policy catches up,” Nyawanga said.
Bonface Orucho, Bird Story Agency.
