The paradise of "mushrooms" is here! How many kinds of wild mushrooms are there in Yunnan? The answer is beyond imagination!

Recently, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment and the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, took the lead in the country to release the "Yunnan Large Fungi Atlas" (hereinafter referred to as the "Atlas"). This is the provincial large fungi atlas with the most fungal species covered in the country to date. It fills the gap in the Yunnan Fungi Atlas and is another important progress in Yunnan Province's biodiversity conservation work.

It is understood that Yunnan's unique geographical location, complex topography, and diverse climate types have not only nurtured a rich variety of animal and plant resources, but also nurtured diverse and unique fungal resources. Yunnan's fungal resources are second to none in the country and also occupy an important position in the world. Large fungi are a special type of biological resource that is different from plants and animals, and have important ecological and economic value.

Statistics show that there are 900 species of wild edible fungi in Yunnan, accounting for 30% of the world's edible fungi species and 90% of the country's edible fungi species. In addition to being used as food, edible fungi also play an important role in medicine, winemaking, industrial fermentation and other fields. Therefore, conducting a survey and cataloguing of large fungal species in Yunnan is not only an important part of the survey and cataloguing of Yunnan's biological species, but also an important part of improving the survey and research of Yunnan species.

The Atlas includes 1,341 species of large fungi in Yunnan Province, belonging to 33 orders, 127 families, 399 genera, etc. However, it does not include all the large fungi species found in Yunnan so far. It mainly records species that have been studied more and are relatively well-known, such as three national second-level protected fungi, Matsutake, Cordyceps sinensis, and Chinese Truffle (listed in the second batch of the National Key Protected Wild Plant List). At the same time, a list of threatened large fungi in Yunnan is proposed, including 62 species such as the pseudo-geoglossum that may have become extinct and the four-spored microglossus that is unique to Yunnan. In addition to the suspected extinct species, 7 critically endangered species, 9 endangered species, and 45 vulnerable species are also included.

The Atlas systematically summarizes the species diversity and resource status of large fungi in Yunnan for the first time, enriching and improving the basic data of biodiversity in Yunnan Province, providing first-hand information for the government and the public to protect and sustainably utilize large fungal resources, and helping to promote the protection and sustainable utilization of large fungal resources. It also helps people identify and distinguish between edible and poisonous fungi, reduce the occurrence of poisoning incidents, and protect people's lives.

Planning and production

Source: People's Daily Online

Editor｜Yang Yaping