The vast, intricate underground networks of fungi that sustain terrestrial ecosystems worldwide require immediate, concerted conservation action, according to a landmark study conducted by researchers from the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN).
Published in the prestigious journal Nature under the title “Global hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness are poorly protected,” the research reveals a striking vulnerability in the planet’s ecological infrastructure. Scientists discovered that a staggering 90 percent of global mycorrhizal fungi biodiversity hotspots are located entirely outside of officially protected areas. Specifically, just 9.5 percent of these vital fungal biodiversity hubs fall within existing conservation boundaries. Experts warn that the ongoing degradation and loss of these subterranean ecosystems could severely impair global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, lower agricultural crop productivity, and drastically diminish the resilience of forests and natural habitats against extreme climate events.
Mycorrhizal fungi perform essential, foundational roles across the globe. They cycle vital nutrients, store massive quantities of carbon, support robust plant health, and actively construct and maintain healthy soils. When human activities or environmental pressures disrupt these critical ecosystem engineers, forest regeneration slows to a fraction of its natural pace, agricultural crops fail, and the rich tapestry of biodiversity above ground begins to unravel.
Dr. Toby Kiers, executive director of SPUN, emphasized the deep evolutionary history and modern necessity of these organisms. Noting that approximately 450 million years ago there were no plants on Earth, Kiers pointed out that it was precisely through the pioneering work of these mycorrhizal fungal networks that early plants were able to colonize the terrestrial world, eventually laying the ecological groundwork to support human life.
“If we have healthy fungal networks, then we will have greater agricultural productivity, bigger and beautiful flowers, and can protect plants against pathogens,” Kiers said. She added that while humanity has spent centuries meticulously mapping mountains, forests, and oceans, these vital fungi have remained largely in the dark, hidden beneath the soil despite their extraordinary contributions to life on land.
The new study represents the first major large-scale scientific application of SPUN’s ambitious world-mapping initiative, which was initially launched in 2021. To construct high-resolution, predictive biodiversity maps of the planet’s underground mycorrhizal fungal communities, researchers analyzed an unprecedented dataset comprising more than 2.8 billion fungal sequences gathered from 130 countries.
This visualization of underground biodiversity patterns highlights a systemic failure in modern conservation strategies. Mycorrhizal fungi help regulate the world’s ecosystems and climate by forming subterranean networks that supply essential nutrients to plants while drawing more than 13 billion tons of carbon annually into the soils. This sequestered amount equals roughly a third of global fossil fuel emissions.
Despite operating as a planetary circulatory system for carbon and nutrients, mycorrhizal fungi have historically been overlooked in global climate change strategies, conservation agendas, and large-scale restoration efforts. Researchers point out that this oversight is deeply problematic, as the physical disruption of these delicate networks actively accelerates both climate change and the ongoing crisis of biodiversity loss.
The newly released maps help alleviate what scientists call “fungus blindness,” offering a crucial tool to confront the urgent environmental challenges of the modern era. The spatial data allows researchers to pinpoint unique fungal communities existing in globally significant regions, such as West Africa’s Guinean forests, Tasmania’s temperate rainforests, and Brazil’s Cerrado savanna.
SPUN originally launched its mapping initiative with the explicit goal of developing robust resources for decision-makers working across policy, law, climate, and conservation sectors. Conservation groups, academic researchers, and governmental policymakers can now utilize the platform to identify biodiversity hotspots, prioritize environmental interventions, and inform the future designation of protected areas. Furthermore, the tool enables leaders to search for underground ecosystems predicted to house rare, endemic fungal communities, opening up new pathways to establish connected underground conservation corridors.
The implications of the mapping initiative extend far beyond academic research, offering tangible guidance for practical conservation and land management. Dr. Michael Van Nuland, lead data scientist at SPUN and lead author of the study, emphasized that these maps serve as much more than mere scientific tools, acting instead as a compass for the future of global conservation. Food security, stable water cycles, and overarching climate resilience all depend on safeguarding these hidden underground ecosystems.
The initiative has drawn backing from a diverse array of prominent environmental advisors, including renowned conservationist Jane Goodall, authors Paul Hawken and Michael Pollan, and Fungi Foundation founder Giuliana Furci. Jason Cremerius, SPUN’s chief strategy officer, noted that the overarching ambition is to ensure underground biodiversity becomes just as fundamental to environmental decision-making as satellite imagery is today.
The detailed maps are also expected to play an indispensable role in leveraging fungi to restore degraded landscapes. Historically, environmental restoration practices have been dangerously incomplete because conservationists focused almost exclusively on life visible above ground. Dr. Alex Wegmann, a lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy, noted that these high-resolution maps provide critical quantitative targets for restoration managers, helping them understand what diverse and healthy mycorrhizal communities could and should look like in specific regions.
This scientific push is supported by an active international network of 96 "Underground Explorers" hailing from nearly 80 countries, alongside more than 400 collaborating scientists. These researchers are actively sampling some of the most remote and hard-to-access underground ecosystems on Earth, spanning regions in Bhutan, Mongolia, Ukraine, and Pakistan. Although current sampling covers only a microscopic fraction—just 0.001 percent—of the planet’s surface, SPUN’s expansive dataset already includes more than 40,000 specimens representing an estimated 95,000 mycorrhizal fungal taxa.
As researchers continue to decode the hidden mechanics of the subterranean world, the message from the scientific community remains clear. These comprehensive maps reveal not only the breathtaking complexity of the planet’s hidden half, but also the immense scale of what humanity stands to lose if it fails to protect the ground beneath its feet.
