Funga: UN wants us all to say it along with ‘Flora & Fauna’

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

The United Nations Biodiversity has urged people globally to use the word ‘funga’ whenever they say ‘flora and fauna’, in order to highlight the importance of fungi.

Fungi:

Fungi, along with Animalia (animals), Plantae (plants), Protista, Archaea/Archaebacteria, and Bacteria or Eubacteria form the six ‘kingdoms’ of biology.
A fungus is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from the other eukaryotic kingdoms, which, by one traditional classification, includes Plantae, Animalia, Protozoa, and Chromista.
A characteristic that places fungi in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is chitin in their cell walls.
Fungi have no roots, stems, flowers and seeds- structures.
Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs:
- They acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment.
Fungi do not photosynthesize.
Fungi are the principal decomposers in ecological systems.
The study of fungi is known as mycology.

UN Biodiversity call to protect funga:

UN Biodiversity urges that, whenever referring to the macroscopic diversity of life on Earth, we should use “flora, fauna and FUNGA”, and “animal, plants and FUNGI.
The Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that it would use “mycologically inclusive” (referring to fungi) language in its internal and public-facing communications (“fauna, flora and funga” and “animals, fungi and plants”) and to incorporate fungi in conservation strategies with rare and endangered plants and animals.

Significance of fungi:

There would be no life on Earth without fungi: the yeasts, molds and mushrooms that are critical to decomposition and forest regeneration, mammalian digestion, carbon sequestration, the global nutrient cycle, antibiotic medication, and the bread, beer and chocolate we consume.
Trees would not be able to live on land without fungi.
Together with bacteria, fungi are responsible for breaking down organic matter and releasing carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus into the soil and the atmosphere.
Fungi are essential to many household and industrial processes, notably the making of bread, wine, beer, and certain cheeses.
They play an important role in medicine by yielding antibiotics.
They help in controlling the population of pests.

What is the Species Survival Commission (SSC)?

The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a science-based network of more than 9,000 volunteer experts from almost every country of the world, all working together towards achieving the vision of, “A just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to reduce the loss of diversity of life on earth“.
SSC’s major role is to provide information to IUCN on biodiversity conservation, the inherent value of species, their role in ecosystem health and functioning, the provision of ecosystem services, and their support to human livelihoods.