Mycology in Sustainable Development: Expanding Concepts, Vanishing Borders

This book contains the proceedings of The Mycology in Sustainable Development Workshop in 14 chapters organized by subject. Four chapters discuss the management of the Pine mushroom "matsutake" (Tricholoma magnivelare) as a model for the emergence and management of non-timber forest products. The value of sustainably harvesting "matsutake" could exceed the value of logging trees in some parts of North America. Three chapters provide an overview of the monitoring and inventory of fungal biological diversity, in order to determine methods for successful sustainable development in each North American country. In the section entitled Environmentally Friendly Technologies, authors discuss the use of mycorrhizae in land restoration, fungi as biological control agents of weeds, and endophytes as instruments of ecological management. Finally, several authors consider the potential for cultivation of novel fungal products and the use of fungi in pharmaceutical bioprospecting. The Mycology in Sustainable Development Workshop brought together Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. scientists involved in establishing the biological bases for integrating fungi into sustainable plans and practices. The workshop facilitated the exchange of ideas and experiences, analysis of current practices, and the charting of future goals for successfully utilizing and integrating fungi in sustainable development. This book reflects these developments. Differences between the perspectives of the three North American countries are highlighted, but a regional viewpoint is also included that encompasses common economic and environmental concerns of these convergent economies. Authors discuss how current and proposed legislation, as well as public perception, affect the ability of each Region to include fungi, a grossly underused resource, in sustainable land management. Issues of economic reciprocity and property rights are addressed in many of the chapters. In addition to providing a unique approach to this timely subject, several of these chapters are comprehensive, up-to-date reviews of a specific subject area. This book will be of interest and use to a broad audience ranging from biologists and other scientists to administrators and policy-makers.