Australian land managers are beginning to discover the important roles fungi play in healthy ecosystems. Australian fungi are different from those in other countries in the same way that our plants, animals and other species differ. Despite this, Australia lacks a practical guide for land managers for conservation and restoration focused management. Restoration guides from other countries are therefore at best less applicable and at worst may suggest the incorporation of fungi from other regions and other countries, which is likely to be detrimental to our Australian landscapes and species. Our guide will focus on integrating fungi into current management tool kits. We know that healthy bushlands are resilient due to the myriad of interactions between our animals, fungi, plants and microbes.

Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher and Roz Hart propose to produce this much-needed and often-requested handbook to the use of fungi in conservation and revegetation in Australian landscapes. Both Sapphire and Roz have been involved in fungal community education and conservation projects for more than two decades and will work with mycologists from across the region to produce a practical and science based guide.

We had a successful crowd funding campaign in May-July 2018 to write the core book. We were delighted with the generosity of over 326 supporters so now the core book is being written by Sapphire, Roz and mycologists and land managers from around Australia. However, we still need help to get the book published and in the hands of people who need it.

Help us bring fungi into focus for land managers!

We will share …

plant partners

providers of food & habitat for animals

recyclers of nutrients

why not all fungal diseases are bad

interactions that drive soil structure and health

how fungi are connected to other life

Practical tools to help managers understand:

diseases & weedy fungi

fire & fungi

threatening processes

fungi & soil

logs & litter vs mulch

Together this will provide practical knowledge and a guide for land managers.

Thank you all so much for the funds to produce the core text a collaborative synthesis of how to integrate fungi into land management and restoration. Our aim is to have the guide finished and ready to use by the end of 2019.

The core text is the backbone of the guide but further work is needed to design a book that integrates images and diagrams to clearly demonstrate the amazing interactions fungi have. Also with the many mycologists and land managers contributing to the guide we will need a Content Editor to bring the core text together in a clear and practical voice. Thus, we will require a further $35,000 to produce the finished product- a physical book- published and in the hands of people who need it.

With this in mind we are continuing to raise funds hoping to have all the money we require by July 2019. Please help us all the way and provide a valuable resource for the Australian environment.

Project Financials

Due to the wonderful help of our friends and supporters, we have had a successful crowd funding campaign in May-July 2018 which raised $38,130. From these funds the costs of the rewards, the crowdfunding website and credit card fees have been paid. Also, a stipend of $500 was paid for a video produced to market the guide. The remainder of these funds will support Sapphire to write the core guide in collaboration with other authors, for an estimated six to nine months.

The project has a dedicated bank account to ensure all funds received and spent are accounted for. A professional accountant will oversee the project account and submit tax returns, so you can be confident your donation is being used appropriately.

Our goal now is to raise ~$35,000 to produce the physical guide which will then be ready and available to use at workshops and training events. This money will be used to support Sapphire for three to five months (~$17,000) to lay out and design the guide. Design involves creating a book that uses the core text and integrates images and diagrams to clearly demonstrate the amazing interactions fungi are involved in. Roz will manage the project and be an author, for this she will be supported with a stipend of $5000. We will require the services of a Content Editor to bring together the ‘voices’ of the many authors into harmony, who will also receive a stipend of $5000. Printing costs are estimated at $8000 for the first edition

We hope to finish the book by the end of 2019. So that we can do this, we are continuing to raise funds here through donations to the project (button above) and through the sale of rewards (coming soon). This is will be more cost efficient than losing fees to a crowd funding page so please share our page with anyone or group who you think may be interested or share our Facebook page.

Roz is taking donations for this project directly. Contact her for the account details for direct donation to the account or use the donate button above for credit cards. If you would like to donate by cheque please make out to Roz Hart and post to Fungi4Land, PO Box 967, Merlynston VIC 3058. We will send you a receipt on request.

About Sapphire & Roz

Sapphire’s passion is conserving Earth’s biodiversity, particularly the macrofungi and mosses, she has a conservation doctorate from the University of Tasmania. She first became interested in land management whilst farming in Africa in her gap year when she worked on several farms and worked with game (wildlife), coffee, tobacco, vegetables, dairy and helped with communal land education. She is active in creating fungal educational games and identification materials, and works part-time for Fungimap*, Australia’s National Fungi organisation.

Having lived in four states, and travelled extensively across Australia’s varied landscapes, she has been connected with several enthusiastic community groups over the years. Together, they have worked towards raising public awareness of local fungi species and towards highlighting the critical roles they play in our environment. Sapphire particularly enjoys getting out into the bush as often as she can to discover new fungal treasures.

Roz is an ecologist, with a range of teaching experience who raises awareness of the importance of fungi in bushlands, opening many people’s eyes to the wonders of fungi. She lives in Perth, close to Kings Park which is Perth’s iconic bushland park. Roz enjoys being a volunteer Guide at Kings Park, where she delights in showing people the fungi that pop up. She is an active member of the Western Australian Field Naturalists Club and is currently President of Fungimap*.

She loves bushwalking, exploring all over Australia and New Zealand looking for fungi, constantly learning more about our amazing biodiversity, which she knows comprises at least 3 Fs: Fauna, Flora and Fungi!

Roz & Sapphire are working on Fungi for Land

Thanks to our supporters

We are delighted to have larger donations towards the project from Fran Guard, Martin from Greening Australia Gippsland, Terry McMullan, La Trobe Valley Field Naturalists, Queensland Mycological Society, Lyn Proud, Kirsten Tullis, Tony Hodge, Nick O’Connor, Field Naturalists’ Club of Ballarat and Main Creek Catchment Landcare Group.

The power of good meaning people is amazing. We are blessed by the support of some anonymous donors and these kind people Megan McMullan, Fran La Fontaine, Rita de Heer, Frances Guard, Simone van Hattem, Meryl Newton, Kelly Scott, Megan Fleming, Elizabeth Sheedy, Susanne Nelles, Rebecca Korossy-Horwood, Catherine Ash, Laurton McGurk, Theresa Bint, Terry McMullan, Peter Buchanan, Simone Louwhoff, Judy Fander, Maree Elliott, Gregory Crocetti, Rose, Jutta Godwin, Nick Ritar, Carolyn Suggate, Tamara Parker, Shane Hall, Michael Cincotta, Attilio Demicheli, Joanna Meighan, Gregg Muller, Anne Warren, Jen Wilson, Karin Schulz, Angela Sanders, Rosalind Smallwood, Meredith Spencer, Denise Deerson, Linda Bradburn, Sue Conlan, Jenny Zimmerman, Diane Evers, Diana Blacklock, Leigh Stone, Gillian Stack, Joshua Smyth, Lizzy Tumbri, Freya Fogliani, Katrina Roberg, Margaret Gollagher, Gordon Claridge, Susan Waite, Judy Haines, Kasey Moffat, Bertram Lobert, Taylor Gundry, Dave Munro, Yoav Daniel Bar-Ness, Paul Sutherland, Lincoln Kern, Annette Dahler, Kevin O’Connell, Judith MacKinnon, Lindsay Jolley, E Seeck, Roy Halling, Vanda Longman, Natalie Eiser, Jemima Holland, Susette Pow, Troy Porter, Warwick Boardman, John Hudson, David Adams, Peter Macqueen, Norma Calcutt, Jessica Bamford, Cat Williams, Rachael Green, Joy Sanderson, Bruce Bennett, Leonie Stubbs, Christopher Vandermeer, Jacqueline Ridler, Kieran Kilmartin, Mark Hutchison, Emma Birnbaum, Janet Hagen, Christine Kilmartin, Frances Cincotta, Julia Martignoni, Margaret Matthews, Lauren Daniel, Riley Rocco, Dylan Osler, Tserin Wright, Daniel Harris-Pascall, Trevor Bacon, Marita Smith, Karl Just, Sally Moore, Diana Corbyn, Nick Huggins, Lesley Shaw, Hannah Savige, James Morison, Jane Ambrose, Shaun Gardner, Teresa Lebel, Betsy Jackes, Rebecca Le Get, Alison Jennings, Wendy Ring, Geoff White, Danny Reddan, Ana Backstrom, Alex Smart, Sue Forster, Greg Boldiston, John Bestevaar, Cherri Deutschmann, Meika LoofsSamorzewski, Stanislaw Wawrzyczek, Kirsten Tullis, Matthew Fisher, Sally Dizgalvis, Kim Sarti, Sam Smith, Carole Gorby, Barbara De Bruijn, Katrina Syme, Cathy Retter, Hans Zehntner, Jane Barton, Daniel Boase-Jelinek, Stephen Axford, Noeline Karlson, Elva Letts, Sarah Maclagan, Naomi Conway, Fflur Collier, Peter Goegan, Kate Bennetts, John Field, Mark Mackintosh, Nadia Danti, Wendy Minato, Julian Jaramillo, P Hudson, Kayt Wallace, Cassia Read, Russell Chambers, Jenny Kato, Daniel Tibbett, Linde Brush, Jason Hart, Bruce McGregor, Althea Oliver, Megan Prance, Louis Saliba, Jarrod Geddes, Matthew Moore, Russell Cook, Leslie Hodgson, Jill Fechner, Melissa Rasmussen, Judy Smart, Anita Wild, Ryan Percival, Tony Hodge, Jennifer Allan, Saskia Hunter, Margaret Larke, Michael Fox, Bec Grant, Roger Thomas, Kylie McGenniskin, Sophie Akers, Richard Francis, Ian Mansergh, Andrew Bennett, Bill Elder, Grace Boxshall, L Soh, Yasmin Kelsall, Dominic McMullan, Bryony Horton, Michael Noble, Siân Howard, Elisabeth Trott, Alex Chapman, Kim Nguyen, Jaya Vaughan, Ben Courtice, Karen Marsh, Timothy Davison, Emmaline Lamond, Tom O’Connor, Laila Amirsardari, Colin Hart, Leith Maddock, Society Beta, Jack Smith, Steve Kennewell, Eric Anderson, Noel Hart, Sandra Maley, Natalie Froud, Dinah Hansman, Dr Mary Cole, Karen Mann, Wendy Savage, Leanne Hales, Liz Kabanoff, Rod Hughes, Anna Povey, Gillian Basnett, Susan Gribble, Bryony Horton, Catherine O’Donoghue, Carolyn Raich, Eileen Laidlaw, Anne Spooner, Barry Muir, Emily Noble, Jan Wiseman, Meggs Hannes, Gail Dixon, Red Hill South Land, Jill Redwood, Wayne Boatwright, Emily Hynes, Rachael Tindale, Melanie Husada, Lyn Proud, Susy Diaz, James Hansen, Sybil Primrose, Nicola Parker, Julia Hazel, Vivian Sandoval, Margaret Brookes, Chid Gilovitz, Wendy Campbell, Sophie Green, Paul Knox, Claire Tutton, Ruey Gale, Theo Howard, Kate Finley, Nigel Fechner, Sandra Tuszynska, Ange Westcott, Tessa Kum, Nick O’Connor, Robert Friend, Karen Cullen, Sue Bendel, Chris Ormond, Elizabeth Haasy, Pia Ednie-Brown, Mushroom Abundance, Amanda Dare, Sue Morgan, Marc Campobasso, Tanya Stul, Steven Lofthouse, Laura Metcalfe, Michael Webster, Connie Kerr, Janene Watts, Brett Malcolm, Pawel Piotrowicz, Joy Clusker, David Dawes, Ian Rainbow, Iolanda Stacey, Sandra Abell, Nick Fitzgerald, Jessica Wakefield, Leesa Baker, Anika, Lynette Wilson & Marcus Dryden.

Promotional merchandise – our Myco Shop below:

As part of our campaign we are offering fungal themed items: Fungi4Land mirrors, Fabulous Fungi case by Paul Vallier, T-shirts and Fabulous Fungi postcard set by Paul Vallier shown below.