Awareness session

This afternoon, Dramani Ramdan participated in a high-level meeting with Dr. Vivek Menon, newly elected Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, during his official visit to Benin. The gathering brought together members of IUCN-Benin and the SSC Committee to discuss the country’s contribution to species conservation. During the discussions, Dramani passionately advocated for the recognition of fungi as key components of biodiversity, emphasizing their essential ecological roles, from soil regeneration to forest resilience, and their contribution to local livelihoods. He called for their integration into international and national conservation policies, ensuring that fungi are no longer overlooked in global biodiversity agendas.

Fati Sambo, the FC-SSA project focal point, took part in the Fourth International Congress on Conservation organized by the International Society for Fungal Conservation (3–7 November 2025, Benin). She highlighted the collaboration as a local partner of the project and shared the activities carried out by the Papatia community, including ectomycorrhizal tree nurseries and forest restoration efforts from seed collection and nursery management to reforestation. She emphasized the support provided by the project, including training on mushroom cultivation and the income earned from project activities, praised the initiative, and offered strong recommendations for ensuring the project’s sustainability. The International Society for Fungal Conservation awarded the women of Papatia for their remarkable commitment to fungal conservation through the FC-SSA project. The active integration of local communities, particularly women, aligns with sustainable forest and fungal conservation goals, reinforcing their essential role in environmental stewardship.

From October 20 to 31, 2024, MyTIPS, led by Prof. Nourou S. Yorou, actively participated in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Cali, Colombia. The COP meetings serve as platforms for stakeholders to exchange updates on progress in biodiversity documentation and conservation efforts. COP16, with a total of 20,000 participants, was particularly significant as it focused on reviewing the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Prof. Yorou’s participation as a mycologist at such a high-level diplomatic and political forum is a first, not only for the Beninese delegation but in the history of COPs. It is well-known that fungi were overlooked at the original CBD meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. However, for the past two decades, efforts have been underway to raise awareness among the public, conservators, and policymakers about the urgent need to protect fungi, which play crucial roles both upstream and downstream in trophic chains. Prof. Yorou’s involvement aimed to bring the voice of fungi to the biodiversity conservation table, while also urging global conservation bodies to take more inclusive actions for fungi. Numerous exchanges and sessions, coordinated by Prof. Yorou, facilitated the sharing of Benin’s experiences in fungal conservation through the « Fungal Conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa » project. Attached are some images from the event, and an audio element can be accessed through the link provided. MyTIPS continues to push the boundaries of fungal ignorance, harnessing the power of collective effort and advancing research on fungi to maximize their utility in biodiversity conservation

Mushrooms are crucial for the stability of forest ecosystems and play a vital role in the well-being of communities. However, they are often overlooked in conservation efforts. This is the driving force behind the FC-SSA project, which aims to provide data on mushrooms and offer policy recommendations to ensure their inclusion in conservation strategies, as mandated by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The project also aims to raise awareness about habitat conservation across sub-Saharan Africa. It operates in Birni, Perma, and Koutouponga in northern Benin, as well as in Zimbabwe. In an exclusive interview with Daabaaru Newspaper, the project Leader, Prof. Yorou stressed the importance of preserving mushrooms and called on policymakers to explicitly integrate them into environmental management and protection plan