Where plants produce and animals consume, fungi are the recyclers. Fungi are just as much threatened as animals and plants by climate change, habitat destruction, invasives, pollution, over-exploitation and even, in some cases, persecution.
Habitats important for threatened fungi may be different from habitats important for threatened animals and plants. Biodiversity can only be conserved if the well-being of fungi is given as much consideration as that of animals and plants: without fungi life on earth would be unsustainable. Fungi provide enormously important ecosystem services (e.g. soil fertility, mycorrhizas, crop protection, litter decomposition, checks and balances).
Egypt was one of the first countries in the world to have a national fungus day. Egypt is a pioneer country in recognizing that fungi are essential for sustainable life on that planet.
For the aforementioned information mycologists in Africa agreed to consider the 25th of May as the African Fungus Day as on 25 May, 1963, the first African organisation after independence, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed in Addis Ababa.
Arab Society for Fungal Conservation (ASFC) at Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Suez Canal, egypt and African Mycological Association (AfriMA) under the auspices of the International Mycological Association (IMA), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Fungal Conservation Committee (FunCC), international Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Mohamed bin Zayed species conservation Fund (MBZ) announce the ist annual Africa Fungus Day (AFD). The celebration will take place online on the 25th of May 2023 from 10 am till 6 pm (Egypt local time-GMT+03:00) Eastern European Time) if Allah wills by Google meet platform. click on the button .
The celebration will include different well-known mycologists from Africa and their speeches will cover different topics such as:
1- Food, Food Security and Potential Industrial Application.
2- Current and Potential Agricultural Applications.
3- Fungi and Their Secondary Metabolites: Implications.
4- Burden to Health and Indoor Environment.
5- Diversity, Taxonomy and Phylogeny.
6- How fungi can help solve the climate crisis?
7- Endophytic Fungi: A Hidden Treasure Towards Pathogen Management.
8- Fungal diversity and climate change.
9- Example of fungal activity which reduces greenhouse gases.
10- Mycorrhizal fungi and climate change.
11- Agricultural crops, fungal diseases and climate change.
Our honorary speaker for 2023
Dr. Marc Stadler
Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), German Center for Infection Research (DZIF),
Braunschweig, Germany
Novel anti-infective and neurotrophic secondary metabolites from cultures of rare and new species of basidiomycetes
Our well-known speakers for 2023
Dr. AIGNON Lougbegnon Hyppolite
Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plants-Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS),
Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakoum, Benin.
Avances in the taxonomic study of macromycetes from West Africa : the case of Inocybe.
Prof.Saida Messgo-Moumene
Faculty of Natural Science and Life,
Blida 1 University, Algeria.
New strains of Trichoderma asperellum as innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture
Dr. Sara Raouia Noumeur
Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry,
Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences,
University of Batna 2, Algeria.
Unveiling Novel Secondary Metabolites from Algerian fungal Endophytes
Dr. Thabiso Motaung Motaung
Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology,
Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), South Africa.
Extracellular Matrix, a Key Determinant of Fungal Biofilm Environmental Responses, is a Course for Concern
Dr. Boris Olou
Research Unit of Tropical Mycology and Plants-Soil Fungi Interactions,
Faculty f Agronomy, University of Parakou, Benin.
Exploring new habitats and Lesser-Known Fungal Groups to Accelerate the Documentation of African Fungal Diversity: The Case of Polypores in Benin, West Africa
Dr. Sarah Ahmed
Center of Expertise in Mycology,Radboudumc / Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital,Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Fungal Infections in Africa: An Overview of the Situation.
Ms. Moforcha Lilian
Department of Plant Science,
University of Buea, Cameron.
Fungal Potential for Sustainable Industrial Biotechnology.
Dr. Lobna Hajji Hedfi
Regional Centre of Agricultural Research of Sidi Bouzid (CRRA),
, Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia.
Beneficial Fungi for Biostimulation and Biocontrol of Plant Diseases.
Prof. Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science,
, Suez canal University, Egypt.
Endophytic Fungi: A hidden Treasure Towards Pathogen Management