Get to Know a Mighty Partner: SPUN

It’s no secret that fungi are having a moment right now. We’re seeing reishi and chaga pop up on grocery store shelves, we’re having a renewed discussion about the ways psilocybin can help treat anxiety and all manner of mushrooms are popping up on clothing from t-shirts to haute couture. Fashion designer, Rahul Mishra said in a Vogue article, “Mushrooms create rebirth in a real sense. They’re a masterpiece of engineering all on their own.”

And we couldn’t agree more. But for us, it’s not about the trend, it’s about the very real and vital role that fungi play to support much of our life on earth. Made mainstream by Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds and the documentary, Fantastic Fungi, the masses are now understanding just how interconnected we — and fungi — all are. 

It’s something our Mighty Partner, SPUN and its team of scientists, know a little something about. 

Who they are: The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, or “SPUN”, is a scientific research organization founded to map mycorrhizal fungal communities around the globe and advocate for their protection. So first off, what is mycorrhizal fungi? SPUN explains, “Mycorrhizal fungi are a group of network-forming soil fungi that form symbiotic associations with plants… These associations have shaped life on earth for more than 475 million years.” In short: mycorrhizal fungi support life on earth, all life!.

Why their work matters right now: Unfortunately, we are destroying the underground places where they live and work at an alarming rate. In doing so, we destabilize ecosystems and lose access to a vast nutrient capture system that could help reform agriculture, forestry and carbon capture. SPUN collaborates with scientists, NGOs, campaigners and local communities to map the mycorrhizal fungal networks that stretch across the globe, advocate for the inclusion of those networks in conservation and climate agendas and ultimately drive innovation in underground climate and biodiversity science. 

The main threats to these fungal networks are habitat destruction, agricultural expansion and climate disruption. Simply put, without their plant partners, mycorrhizal fungi cannot survive. So with habit loss from logging, industrial agriculture methods of tilling and chemical use, and disruptions spurred by the climate crisis, we’re impairing the ability of these fungal networks to sequester carbon, move nutrients and promote soil aggregation.

Did you know: A recent New York Times article on SPUN states, “By one estimate, 5 billion tons of carbon flow from plants to mycorrhizal fungi annually. Without help from the fungi, that carbon would likely stay in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, the powerful greenhouse gas that is heating the planet and fueling dangerous weather.” It is these fungal networks that make carbon sequestration in the soil possible!

How you can help them: Learn more about SPUN and how you can get involved here. 

Mic drop: “Keeping this fungal network protected is paramount as we face climate change,” Dr. Toby Kiers, SPUN executive director and chief scientist said in the New York Times article. She continued, “It’s seeing Earth’s metabolism. Who is there? What is their function? Right now, we are concerned so heavily on the overground, we are literally missing half the picture.”

We’re in a defining moment — a moment where we can choose to be overwhelmed, disconnected and discouraged, or where we can choose to be positive, embrace change and lift up the work of others seeking a better future together. We’re proud to support the work of the people and organizations out changing this world for the better — for all of us. Some may be small, some large. All are mighty. Each month, we’ll be highlighting one of our Mighty Partners and we encourage you to get to know them, support them, and share their work with your friends, families and colleagues. Let’s get to work.