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MACROFUNGAL DIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA
is focused more on the more glamorous and current topics of biotechnology and applied
microbiology. The reasons for this are best discussed at another forum. There is a need to
identify local researchers who are able to contribute the expertise needed to fully evaluate the
fungal diversity of Malaysia.
Public appreciation of the fungi and their diversity needs to be encouraged through the
organisation of interesting educational talks and regular fungal forays but the lack of sufficient
experienced and knowledgeable leaders is a major stumbling block. One way to overcome
this lack of expertise would be to invite some of the retired, experienced mycologists to conduct
hands-on training courses and workshops on fungal taxonomy for local students, scientists
and researchers. These experts could also be appointed visiting/honorary lecturers or professors
at local universities to help strengthen the teaching of mycology and taxonomy as well as to
assist in the supervision of student projects. Such experts could also be invited to participate
in expeditions and other interdisciplinary projects where a fungal component exists, thereby
in the process contributing to the evaluation and enumeration of our fungal diversity.
RELATED PROJECTS
At FRIM and other local educational and research institutions, various studies concerning
macrofungi are being carried out, e.g., projects on selected plant pathogens, fungi utilized for
food, medicine and industrial purposes, and those involved in ectomycorrhizal associations.
However, there are few projects aimed directly at evaluating the macrofungal diversity of the
country. One post-graduate project currently being undertaken at a local university aims to
evaluate the biodiversity of polypore fungi using both classical and molecular techniques for
ex-situ germplasm conservation and cultivation. A collaborative project between Universiti
Sains Malaysia and some Japanese researchers has been underway for the last two years in the
north of the country but details are sketchy. Between 1992 and 1998, FRIM collaborated with
mycologists from the U.K. and Japan on the macrofungi of Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri
Sembilan and this has resulted in the publication of several research papers, the discovery of
many undescribed fungi of which some have already been published as new (Watling et al.
1995; Hattori & Lee 1999). Many of the collections made during the duration of these two
projects still await further study and it is likely that several more new species, particularly in
the Russulaceae and hypogeous fungi will be described when the taxonomists find the time to
work on the collections. It is only through the joint efforts of such collaborative projects and
with the help of foreign experts that we can hope to have a better understanding of our
macrofungal diversity.
In the U.K. the British Mycological Society has been at the forefront of British mycology and
its members have actively played a role in the enumeration of the British fungal flora. There is
no equivalent organization in Malaysia but non-governmental organisations such as the
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other organisations
involved in nature conservation and education could assist in the evaluation of the Malaysian
macrofungal diversity if such a project were to be implemented. Many members of the MNS
are keen and expert nature photographers and have submitted photos of assorted fungi for
identification. With a little education, interested members could be trained to properly collect
and document the details of the fungi for further identification by the experts. This is where
the stumbling block lies—there is a dearth of local expertise in the identification of the
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