Earth’s underground networks of fungi need urgent protection, say researchers

Study finds that only 9.5% of fungal biodiversity hotspots fell within existing protected areas

The underground networks of fungi that underpin the planet's ecosystems needs urgent conservation action by politicians, a research organisation has said.

Scientists from the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (Spun) have created the first high-resolution biodiversity maps of Earth's underground mycorrhizal fungal ecosystems.