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MACROFUNGAL DIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA<br />

is focused more on the more glamorous and current topics of biotechnology and applied<br />

microbiology. The reasons for this are best discussed at another forum. There is a need to<br />

identify local researchers who are able to contribute the expertise needed to fully evaluate the<br />

fungal diversity of Malaysia.<br />

Public appreciation of the fungi and their diversity needs to be encouraged through the<br />

organisation of interesting educational talks and regular fungal forays but the lack of sufficient<br />

experienced and knowledgeable leaders is a major stumbling block. One way to overcome<br />

this lack of expertise would be to invite some of the retired, experienced mycologists to conduct<br />

hands-on training courses and workshops on fungal taxonomy for local students, scientists<br />

and researchers. These experts could also be appointed visiting/honorary lecturers or professors<br />

at local universities to help strengthen the teaching of mycology and taxonomy as well as to<br />

assist in the supervision of student projects. Such experts could also be invited to participate<br />

in expeditions and other interdisciplinary projects where a fungal component exists, thereby<br />

in the process contributing to the evaluation and enumeration of our fungal diversity.<br />

RELATED PROJECTS<br />

At FRIM and other local educational and research institutions, various studies concerning<br />

macrofungi are being carried out, e.g., projects on selected plant pathogens, fungi utilized for<br />

food, medicine and industrial purposes, and those involved in ectomycorrhizal associations.<br />

However, there are few projects aimed directly at evaluating the macrofungal diversity of the<br />

country. One post-graduate project currently being undertaken at a local university aims to<br />

evaluate the biodiversity of polypore fungi using both classical and molecular techniques for<br />

ex-situ germplasm conservation and cultivation. A collaborative project between Universiti<br />

Sains Malaysia and some Japanese researchers has been underway for the last two years in the<br />

north of the country but details are sketchy. Between 1992 and 1998, FRIM collaborated with<br />

mycologists from the U.K. and Japan on the macrofungi of Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri<br />

Sembilan and this has resulted in the publication of several research papers, the discovery of<br />

many undescribed fungi of which some have already been published as new (Watling et al.<br />

1995; Hattori & Lee 1999). Many of the collections made during the duration of these two<br />

projects still await further study and it is likely that several more new species, particularly in<br />

the Russulaceae and hypogeous fungi will be described when the taxonomists find the time to<br />

work on the collections. It is only through the joint efforts of such collaborative projects and<br />

with the help of foreign experts that we can hope to have a better understanding of our<br />

macrofungal diversity.<br />

In the U.K. the British Mycological Society has been at the forefront of British mycology and<br />

its members have actively played a role in the enumeration of the British fungal flora. There is<br />

no equivalent organization in Malaysia but non-governmental organisations such as the<br />

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other organisations<br />

involved in nature conservation and education could assist in the evaluation of the Malaysian<br />

macrofungal diversity if such a project were to be implemented. Many members of the MNS<br />

are keen and expert nature photographers and have submitted photos of assorted fungi for<br />

identification. With a little education, interested members could be trained to properly collect<br />

and document the details of the fungi for further identification by the experts. This is where<br />

the stumbling block lies—there is a dearth of local expertise in the identification of the<br />

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