Doctor Alison Pouilot has travelled the world, speaking to foragers, forayers, farmers, children, and adults. On Wednesday, April 30th, she was in Goulburn at the Hume Conservatorium, addressing an audience of 65 people.

This event, Fungus Discovery Workshop: What’s that Mushroom?, is part of a series of Land for Wildlife talks jointly run by talks jointly run by K2W Link and supported through Cores, Corridors and Koalas – a partnership between the Great Eastern Ranges and WWF-Australia to restore and reconnect critical habitat for forest-dependent native animals.

Alison presents to a crowded room in the foreground is a table displaying fungi.

What’s truly exciting about fungi is their role in the ecosystem—it’s all about what they do. They decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients, making them available for other organisms. Fungi help to hold soil particles apart, acting like a large sponge. When the soil is aerated, various invertebrates can inhabit and move through it. As these creatures travel through the soil, they aerate it further. With air in the soil, water can more easily move through the soil profile.

“This fungal awakening, or mushroom moment, has certainly been a fascinating time for me,” Alison said.

Australia is recognised as one of 17 countries that host 80% of the world’s fungi, according to Alison. “If you draw a line from Tasmania to Queensland, think about how many habitats you would walk through—alps, deserts, stringybark forests, sand dunes. There is significant diversity, and each habitat supports different types of fungi.”

Alison said that a lot of our knowledge about fungi comes from citizen scientists who upload records to online databases. “It’s through your observations that we’re actually understanding where local fungi are; we have so few mycologists in Australia doing this work,” she said.

Her presentation highlighted the importance of fungi in ecosystems, noting that different types provide benefits like drought resistance, water absorption, and disease prevention for plants.

Clare McCabe, communications manager, K2W Link, said the presentation highlighted the need to consider fungi in conservation works. “Alison’s presentation highlighted how vital fungi are to maintaining healthy ecosystems and the need to consider them in our conservation projects. She encouraged the audience to consider how a fungal community benefits from diversity, urging the audience to consider the interconnected layer beneath our feet and mimic nature for a thriving ecosystem.”