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Poster Short Abstract

FunDive aims to embark citizen scientists across Europe on collating data on fungal occurrences to achieve shared conservation goals. Although various communication channels and activities are used, the degree of citizen scientist engagement varies greatly among countries and regions.

Poster Abstract

To understand and monitor drivers of fungal diversity patterns, high-quality mapping of species distributions is needed. However, even in Europe, which has a long history of mycological research, the distribution of many species remains unknown or is only assessed at country level. The overall goal of FunDive, a collaborative project funded by Biodiversa+, is to develop and improve methods for mapping and monitoring fungal diversity, and to analyze drivers of its distribution patterns, also by encouraging citizen scientists (CS) to participate in generating fungal occurrence data across national borders. We created a central project webpage (https://fun-dive.eu/en/get-involved/), use a common biodiversity platform - PlutoF (https://plutof.ut.ee/) to integrate data, and developed a network of country-level coordinators who facilitate CS participation. We use different channels of communication (including social media posts, press releases in local languages, in-person meetings with mycological groups and societies), and activities (e.g., guided walks, joint forays, workshops, and individual engagement in targeted campaigns). Despite these efforts, the degree of CS involvement varied greatly depending on the country and region. Of the 3089 fungal records collated during the first season, most originated from Finland (642), followed by Italy (353), Poland (332), and Hungary (290). Although 29 out of 44 European countries contributed, several regions are still underrepresented. A better understanding of the factors affecting CS engagement in different European regions is needed to more effectively motivate people and encourage their active involvement in fungal diversity conservation efforts across the continent.