Island disaster

attacking film reels stored in the UK's North West Film Archive. Although the fungi responsible were common Aspergillus and Penicillum species, the discovery reveals the ubiquity of fungi. " Fungi are the great recyclers — the 'rotting fungi' break down dead and decaying matter while other fungi are intimately associated with roots, ensuring that our forest trees can absorb essential nutrients, " says Minter. And it is now well known that the germination of many orchids is dependent on the seeds initially obtaining nutrition from soil fungi. Ignorance of local fungi is one of the driving reasons behind setting up the new society. " Fungi are important to all our lives, not just providing us with bread, beer and essential medicines, but fundamental to the functioning of our green planet. " " Fungi are important to all our lives, not just providing us with bread, beer and essential medicines, but fundamental to the functioning of our green planet, " says Mary Gibby, director of science at the RBGE. " Through the Convention on Biological Diversity, great strides have been made for conservation; I hope that this initiative will ensure that the international enthusiasm that has supported plant and animal conservation will be harnessed for fungi. " " There is still so much to be learned from fungi, " says Minter. " They've been overlooked, they need protection, and it's time to do something about it. We cannot afford to wait any longer. " His views were echoed by Steven Blackmore, regius keeper at the RBGE. " The world wouldn't work without fungi. They complete the natural cycle plants begin. Focusing on their conservation is long overdue. The new society will map out its initial objectives at a meeting next month. Contact: [email protected] also home to several other endemic species that survive because they are inaccessible to goats. They breed in only the narrowest of regions 1,700 metres up in the mountains to avoid some predators but only where there is still enough soil for them to make their burrows. But they still face numerous threats — from introduced rats and cats, to habitat degradation and human disturbance. In 1991 the remains of 10 petrels were found on one ledge, apparently killed by cats. And shepherds used to collect juvenile birds for food, and egg collectors have raided nests in the past. Last year another threat appeared: a new Nato radar …