Welcome to the home page of Red Lists for Microfungi, part of the Sampled Red List Index Project organized by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The present website represents a first attempt to produce red list assessments for non-lichen-forming microfungi at a global level. That attempt is a collaborative venture involving the IUCN Fungi Specialist Group, and mycologists with suitable information and expertise are invited to contribute (information about how to collaborate).

About the Project. The conservation community is currently able to provide policy and decision makers with comprehensive information on the conservation status of just three groups of organisms at class level: mammals, birds and amphibians. Information on trends in extinction risk are only available for two of these groups: birds and amphibians. In total, these groups represent only about 1% of the world's described species (and a much smaller proportion of the probable total biodiversity, which would include huge numbers of undescribed fungi and invertebrate animals). At present, little can be said about the status or extinction risk trends of the other 99% of described species. The Sampled Red List Index project has been developed to address this major gap by aiming to provide information on conservation status and extinction risk trends which is more representative of these other species groups. To do this, a small number of major groups has been identified as targets. Three of those groups constitute the fungal component. The present website represents the non-lichen-forming microfungi. The other two groups comprise the basidiomycetes (ie macrofungi or mushrooms & toadstools) and the lichen-forming fungi.