Once overlooked, fungi are the exhilarating new poster organisms reconfiguring our understanding of the natural world and capturing the public imagination.

Although little known, the roots of almost every plant in the Australian landscape are intimately intwined with fungi. These clandestine relationships extend beyond trees to include every orchid and most shrubs and grasses.

Fungi not only help plants access water and nutrients, but also increase their resistance to drought and disease. They build architecture in soils, aerate them, and allow water to percolate to deeper horizons. Despite this, fungi often slips through ideas about nature and conservation that focus on flora and fauna.

Join Nature Conservation and Roz Hart an Ecologist, former community education officer with the Perth Urban Bushland Fungi project, former President now committee member of Fungimap Inc. and an active member of the Western Australian Naturalists’ Club who has organised many fungi talks, workshops and fungi excursions over the last 2 decades for a fabulous frolic into fungi.

The talk will introduce participants to the diversity, ecology and curiosities of the Kingdom fungi, specific to fungi found in our region. Roz will also cover some of the fascinating partnerships between fungi and other organisms in our amazing Biodiverse part of the planet.

Roz Hart and mycologist Sapphire McMullan-Fisher are also writing a much-needed guide: Fungi4Land, a guide to the use of fungi in revegetation for Australian land managers.

Following the introduction into our fabulous fungi Roz will outline the Fungi4Land project and the role of fungi within ecosystems and how to include them in management of healthy ecosystems including:

Plant/animal partners
Ecosystem service providers
Why some fungal diseases are ok
Fungi and soil
Fungi and fire
Threatening processes
Weedy species

When: 27th July 2023 5:30pm

Where: The Margaret River Men's Shed - 5 Shepherdson Pl, Margaret River WA 6285

The Fungi4Land practical guide is not finished yet 10 core chapters have been drafted and illustrated but there is still work to be done. Proceeds of this workshop will be donated to Fungi4Land to help get the book published and in the hands of people who need it.

More info here: https://fungi4land.com/

This talk is a For Nature Landholder stewardship talk and is reserved to For Nature members. The For Nature Landholder Stewardship Program is free to register for and comes with loads of benefits, like grants for conservation work at your place and free equipment hire. Please register here: https://www.natureconservation.org.au/for-nature/

For Nature is proudly supported by funding from the West Australian Government’s State Natural Resources Management Program, the Water Corporation and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River