Fungal conservation in the USA

Over the last 30 years there has been increasing action in the arena of fungal conservation globally, leading to a higher profile for fungi in conservation efforts. After reviewing the status of fungal conservation in the USA it is clear that further development and implementation of measures to conserve fungi are needed. This field remains under-developed in the USA due in large part to outdated misperceptions of fungi as organisms that are unknown and unknowable. Using examples from the literature, the notion of fungal inscrutability is dispelled and specific actions that should be undertaken to advance fungal conservation in the USA are outlined.