The UK Biodiversity Action Plan Fungus Species (2008)

Introduction to using the BAP dossiers

The BAPs, or Biodiversity Action Plans, are a response to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the international treaty signed in 1992 and intended to sustain the diversity of life on earth. In the UK these plans, drawn up on behalf of the Biodiversity Partnership and the Government, amount to detailed provision for protection of our remarkable wealth of biological resources and this includes fungi.

Although amounting to a highly significant group of organisms, historically fungi have been poorly protected by BAPs and for many years a mere 4 non-lichenised species benefited from BAP status. However the situation has finally improved. In 2008 an official list of 76 non-lichenised BAP fungi was published, replacing an existing provisional BAP list. Lichens tend to be treated separately and so are not included on the ABFG dossier pages. We are referring here to ‘non-lichenised fungi' simply as ‘fungi'.

Within the BAP list is a single grouped plan for ‘toothed fungi' (stipitate hydnums including species contained within the genera Hydnellum, Phellodon, Sarcodon, Bankera etc.) and the remaining plans are for individual species.

Few field mycologists would agree that the current list of BAP fungi is the optimum reflection of those species most in need of planned protection and further revisions need to be implemented. A more thorough and methodical analysis of UK fungus records is required and in 2009 the Association is developing a significant advance in its data system that will make this possible.

The complete dossiers on 76 species of fungi currently included in the official BAP 2008 list are now available. Users familiar with this website will see, however, that the pages have also been subject to revision and expansion and include interactive update and edit facilities for login users.

Please use the link to open an alphabetical index of the 76 species. Clicking on any one of the names opens its reference dossier that includes, in most cases, the best available photograph of the given species (some images have still not been sourced), an outline of the reasons why it qualifies for BAP protection, a summary of the records held on national databases (CATE and FRD), and a link to the NBN distribution map. A further link opens current data for the species. Place names and hectad references are accessible to registered users of CATE..

If you are a registered user of CATE please go to the login page and enter your CATE username and password. You will then be taken to the unrestricted data for the species. If you do not have CATE user registration, please use the open access option.