Fungal conservation in the United States: current status of federal frameworks

There are currently two major federal frameworks through which fungi are directly protected in the United States: the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Survey and Manage Standards and Guidelines of the Northwest Forest Plan (SMNFP). While both of these provide protection to fungi, the former is legally ambiguous with regard to fungi and the latter is currently the subject of litigation that may render it less effective. Though two lichens are listed as endangered under the ESA, the Act does not explicitly provide protections to fungi, leaving the legal status of these listed species unclear. The SMNFP implements comprehensive adaptive management for many lichenized and non-lichenized fungi, as well as other poorly studied organisms (e.g. bryophytes). In recent years, however, the SMNFP has been impeded by ongoing conflicts between federal agencies, logging interests, and environmental activists. Given the importance of fungi to the biosphere and the increasing interest in fungal conservation worldwide, addressing oversights and obstacles such as these is a crucial step towards effective protection and management of fungi.