Balancing Conservation and Economic Valuation of Wild Fungal Resources

This Research Topic is directly connected to the XII International Workshop on Edible Mycorrhizal Mushrooms (IWEMM12), the world’s leading event on fungal ecology, sustainable harvesting, and myco economics. By aligning with IWEMM12, the Topic gains visibility within a global network of experts shaping the future of fungal conservation and bioeconomic innovation. This integration ensures high impact submissions grounded in frontier science, market valuation, and governance of wild fungal resources. Contributions emerging from IWEMM12 will enrich the Topic with cutting edge insights and interdisciplinary approaches.Wild fungi are essential components of forest, grassland, and arid-land ecosystems, supporting nutrient cycling, soil health, plant–fungus interactions, and ecological resilience. They also underpin growing markets for gourmet foods, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and local livelihoods. Despite this importance, wild fungi have traditionally been classified as non-timber forest products and remain poorly represented in agricultural policy, conservation legislation, and resource-management frameworks. Rising demand has increased harvesting pressure, habitat degradation, and localized species depletion, while conventional economic models often fail to capture fungi’s ecological, cultural, and social value. Advances in molecular ecology, metabolomics, chemical ecology, and microbiome research are revealing how aroma profiles, metabolites, host-plant associations, and symbiotic microbial networks shape fungal market value and resilience. However, these biological insights are rarely integrated into conservation planning or bioeconomic decision-making, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary approaches that connect fungal biology, ecosystem services, markets, and governance.This Research Topic aims to examine how the economic valuation &use of wild fungi can support biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience. It will explore how biological and ecological knowledge can inform sustainable harvesting, how market-based incentives can protect fungal habitats, and how valuation frameworks can recognize fungal ecosystem services. It will also consider indigenous and local knowledge, community-led governance, equitable benefit sharing, and policy innovation. By bringing together field mycology, ecology, biotechnology, socio-economics, and environmental policy, the Research Topic seeks to develop evidence-based strategies for managing wild fungal resources as sustainable ecological and economic assets. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Bioeconomic models and market-based incentives for fungal habitat conservation.o Chemical ecology, metabolomics, and the biological determinants of commercial value and aroma.o Host-plant associations, mycorrhizal relationships, and allied microbiomes that influence fungal productivity and resilience.o The effects of climate change, habitat loss, and overharvesting on wild fungal populations.o Quantitative assessments of harvesting pressure, population dynamics, spore dispersal, and mycorrhizal networks.o Indigenous knowledge and community-led governance of sustainable mushroom management.o Valuation of fungal ecosystem services, including carbon storage, soil restoration, nutrient cycling, and desertification prevention.o Policy frameworks, traceability systems, and certification standards for wild-harvested fungi.o Equitable value chains, livelihood impacts, and benefit-sharing mechanisms.o Interdisciplinary studies combining laboratory-based biological analyses with field ecology or socio-economic modelling.The Research Topic welcomes original research, reviews, perspectives, and policy briefs. Topic editors: Giuseppe Venturella, FERNANDO MARTINEZ-PEÑA Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84128/balancing-conservation-and-economic-valuation-of-wild-fungal-resources