ABSTRACT
The number of macrofungal species estimated to be present on Earth is revisited in the light of the latest estimates of global species numbers; the total is suggested to be in the range of 220 000– 380 000, meaning that just 3.7–6.4% have so far been discovered and named; 15 300 may remain to be recognized in India. Some macrofungi, particularly mushrooms, are widely used as food, for but those used by local people are often not exploited commercially and sometimes include unnamed species. Others are valued for medicinal applications, while others form compounds that have pesticide or fungicidal properties. Ectomycorrhizal macrofungi are also now exploited in commercial forestry operations. New and exciting areas for future exploitation or exploration include the production of packing and building materials, the development of systems for the continuous production of mycoprotein from known edible mushrooms, discovery of novel bioactive natural products that could have antibacterial or antifungal properties, and contributing to mitigating effects of climate change. In order to facilitate the realization of the potential of macrofungi for human well-being, there are challenges the mycological community needs to address at the national level: Cataloguing what is known; barcoding the numerous described but unsequenced species; provision of public reference collections of both dried type and voucher material as well as genetic resource collections from which living cultures can be supplied; conservation programmes, including Red List threat assessments of all species; and improvements in training which continues to suffer from being viewed as a part of botany rather than an independent discipline.
