The Red List of Mushrooms in Romania

Laurenţiu Ciornei¹  and Lavinia Udrea²

                                               ¹Centrul de Studii și Cercetări de Biodiversitate Agrosilvică  "Acad. David Davidescu", București
                                                                 ²Universitatea "Valahia" Târgoviște

Keywords: mushrooms, biodiversity, Conservation Funghi, The Red List, rare  and vulnerable mushrooms.

  Abstract: Fungi are fundamental to healthy ecosystems and essential for the sustainability of biodiversity. They are necessary to support the functioning of major ecosystems. For example, they are useful in the decomposition of garbage, nutrient cycling and energy flows in ecosystems. Moreover, the passage of nutrients from the soil to plants also relies on the help of fungi, mainly mycorrhizal fungi. Almost 97% of plants have symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi.
While most of our attention has been focused on the role of animals and plants in biodiversity conservation, we may have missed a few other important agents influencing ecosystem biodiversity. We shouldn't ignore mushrooms just because most of the time we can't see them. When considering ecosystem biodiversity, we should consider the roles of all organisms so that any action we take to conserve biodiversity is effective.
In Romania, there is a gap in the legislation on the protection of wild mushrooms and orchids. The absence of specific legislation on the protection of these species threatens their biodiversity and natural habitat.
The lack of adequate regulation makes it difficult to monitor and sustainably manage these fragile and valuable organisms. This situation can lead to irrational and uncontrolled loss of fungi, affecting the ecological balance and their importance for biodiversity.
Because the recognition and regulation of experts and the activities of collecting and capitalizing on wild mushrooms and protecting wild mushrooms and orchids as a whole is not regulated or supported legislatively in Romania, it can lead to problems of sustainability and protection of mycological resources.
Recently, a special project was completed: "The Red List of Mushrooms in Romania". It was drawn up at the initiative of the associations "Conservation Funghi" and "Treasures of Prahova Valley" through the collective voluntary effort of Romanian, Hungarian, Italian, British botanists, experts and naturalists etc. through a relevant and effective international collaboration.
This project aims to create a powerful scientific tool for informing and catalyzing actions for biodiversity conservation and changing essential policies to protect the natural resources we need to survive.
There is a need to achieve greater ecological coherence, increased protection for biodiversity and improved sustainability for the natural and cultural heritage as well as its resources.
In the list of rare, very rare and vulnerable mushrooms in Romania there are 222 species.