Dubai launches conservation centre to focus on fungi

The world's first conservation centre dedicated to fungi has been launched in Dubai, to plug one of the biggest gaps in global biodiversity protection.

The Centre for Species Survival – Fungi, unveiled on Tuesday at Terra, Expo City Dubai, aims to boost international efforts to assess and protect fungi species, most of which remain undocumented despite their critical role in the ecosystem.

Fungi regulate greenhouse gases, support plant health, break down pollutants and offer potential breakthroughs in food, medicine and materials. They represent more than 90 per cent of the world's unidentified biodiversity, but are often overlooked in environmental frameworks and funding.

Established in partnership with the International Union for Conservation (IUCN), the centre will produce assessments for a global fungi-focused Red List.

“There are currently 1,300 fungi on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, so there is a lot to do to document and understand their threats to guide policy and action,” said Prof Jon Paul Rodríguez, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. “As a group, the number of species that they encompass is mind-boggling, certainly reaching into the millions.”

Tracking local and global fungi

The Dubai IUCN Species Centre – the first in the Middle East – will initially focus on fungi native to the region before expanding its scope globally. It will be staffed by local experts in collaboration with IUCN's Fungi Conservation Committee and a global network of more than 11,000 scientists.

“It is imperative that we leave no stone unturned as we tackle the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss,” said Marjan Faraidooni, head of education and culture at Expo City Dubai.

“Out of the potential two to three million species of fungi that are out there, we haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg. We probably have an understanding and definition for 160,000, if we're lucky.”

Native mushrooms being studied at the UAE's Plant Genetic Resources Centre's fungal programme. Antonie Robertson/The National

Scientists estimate there could be around 10,000 fungal species beneath the Middle East's deserts and coastal areas, yet fewer than one per cent have been studied or assessed.

Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Ms Faraidooni told The National that there will be a heavy emphasis on public engagement, with the possibility of a global annual fungi conference led by the centre.

“Part of our mission is to create different types of programmes that are not only centred on exhibitions, but also education, engagement and participating in global events where [they focus] on biodiversity.” said Ms Faraidooni.

Prof Rodríguez told The National that a key mission would be to help the public understand how to identify species of mushrooms. “One great thing that that Expo City Dubai and the centre could do is create a guide for fungal citizen science, because there are particular traits that help with fungi identification.”

The UAE will host the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi in October, where the Centre for Species Survival is expected to feature as an example of regional leadership in nature-based solutions.

Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.