Mycology in Sustainable Development: Expanding Concepts, Vanishing Borders

Rating:
Summary: Read this Book, Then...
Review: FIGHT FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM

Professor Ignacio Chapela courageously spoke out
against the UC $25 million research agreement with
the biotechnology giant Novartis. He published an
article demonstrating that native corn in Mexico had
been contaminated by genetically engineered corn.
Being a prominent critic of the university's ties to
the biotech industry, Dr. Chapela had his tenure
denied despite overwhelming support by his peers at UC
Berkeley and experts around the world.

The implications that these actions have on academic
freedom are frightening. They threaten scientists in
the future from working to seek truth in different
forums without undue influence. Scientists will no
longer be able to ask questions that might seem
uncomfortable even for the university to pose, such as
those in pursuit of precautionary science or in
opposition to corporate control over the university
research agenda.

You can get involved:
1. Call, email or write the UC Berkeley Chancellor
Birgeneau and the Academic Senate.
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Snail Mail: Office of the Chancellor, 200 California
Hall # 1500, Berkeley, California, 94720-1500
(Academic Senate = PHONE: [phone]; FAX:
510-642-8920; E-MAIL: [e-mail]

2. Visit www.tenurejustice.org or write
[e-mail]




Rating:
Summary: An Optional Addition to the Mycological Library
Review: Given that virtually all of the papers in this book juxtapose mycorrhizal fungi with Pacific Rim forests, the title of this book should really be 'Mycorrhizae in Sustainable Agro-Forestry'. The majority of the chapters focus on the mycorrhizae and forestry, and the book as a whole attempts to make a strong case for greater research, development, and support for applied mycorrhizal research. Chapela and Palm introduce the papers by intelligently and eloquently stating the need for and practical use of sustainable development while at the same time providing background on the individual papers.

That said, the first three chapters provide a detailed history of wildcrafting of Matsutake mushrooms in British Columbia, the US Pacific Northwest, and Mexico, and elaborate upon the attempts of government and conservationists to regulate the harvest of this non-timber forest product so as to promote resource conservation and sustainable use of the regional forests. Several chapters further elaborate various aspects related to mycorrhizal fungi- from their plant associations and recent attempts to inventory plant-fungal associations to the utilization of mycorrhizae in land reclamation and biocontrol of weedy trees and grasses.

The last two chapters are quite possibly the most interesting part of the book and briefly present two attempts toward developing new markets for fungal products. In these chapters, we learn of successful attempts by Central American farmers to organincally cultivate mushrooms, principally Pleurotus species, using various types of agricultural waste. We also learn of attempts in many lesser developed nations to exploit their fungal bioresources and the efforts underway to make certain that developing nations and indigenous peoples reap their fair share of the proceeds from bioprospecting. The final chapter also argues that bioprospecting is a viable means of conservation and sustainable development.

While the book is interesting, the text could be taken more seriously had the editors only acknowledged the fundamental challenges of sustainable myco-resource utilization, fungal inventory monitoring, and development of fungal-based biological control agents. In their defense, more than a few of the contributors do point out the inherent challenges associated with management of sustainable development and fungal inventory research. Nonetheless the reader gets very few successes and a lot of dubious triumphs from the field of mycorrhizal ecology. In addition, the researchers conveniently neglect to state two very important points about the Matsutake myco-industry. Since Japan is the major market for Matsutake, this fledgling myco-industry would face ruin if this market collapsed. Furthermore, the opening of new Matsutake reservoirs in Russia, Central and South America continuously expands the supply-side while the demand-side has remained relatively constant. This in turn has had the obvious effect of lowering supply-side prices worldwide. As a result, although wildcrafting of Matsutakes and other botanicals is an important source of income in impoverished forest communities, it can not be looked upon as a key driver of sustainable development in these rural regions.

Although Chapela and Palm's Mycology in Sustainable Development starts off brilliantly, it quickly devolves into yet another thinly veiled plea for more funding for the contributors' pet research projects. The book's premise that the fungal kingdom has much to offer the worthwhile cause of sustainable development is quickly overpowered by paper after paper highlighting some dubious applications involving mycorrhizal fungi. Given the 'global' title of the book, I was rather dismayed at the limited number of regions and countries represented and the overwhelming emphasis on the mycorrhizae. Granted, the mycorrhizae are a neglected area of research and do have much to offer the worthy cause of sustainable development. However, it would have been nice to see other classes of fungi and examples of sustainable development using the fungi in other regions of the world, particularly Africa and Asia, given an equivalent amount of exposure. Moreover, I was extremely dismayed at the paucity of information on edible mushrooms other than expensive exotics like Matsutake, given their often critical role in the health and nutrition of many of the world's communities and their extraordinary potential for global environmental improvement.

In conclusion, although this book contains some interesting information, it ultimately remains an optional addition to the library of the applied mycologist.

Rating:
Summary: An Optional Addition to the Mycological Library
Review: Given that virtually all of the papers in this book juxtapose mycorrhizal fungi with Pacific Rim forests, the title of this book should really be `Mycorrhizae in Sustainable Agro-Forestry'. The majority of the chapters focus on the mycorrhizae and forestry, and the book as a whole attempts to make a strong case for greater research, development, and support for applied mycorrhizal research. Chapela and Palm introduce the papers by intelligently and eloquently stating the need for and practical use of sustainable development while at the same time providing background on the individual papers.

That said, the first three chapters provide a detailed history of wildcrafting of Matsutake mushrooms in British Columbia, the US Pacific Northwest, and Mexico, and elaborate upon the attempts of government and conservationists to regulate the harvest of this non-timber forest product so as to promote resource conservation and sustainable use of the regional forests. Several chapters further elaborate various aspects related to mycorrhizal fungi- from their plant associations and recent attempts to inventory plant-fungal associations to the utilization of mycorrhizae in land reclamation and biocontrol of weedy trees and grasses.

The last two chapters are quite possibly the most interesting part of the book and briefly present two attempts toward developing new markets for fungal products. In these chapters, we learn of successful attempts by Central American farmers to organincally cultivate mushrooms, principally Pleurotus species, using various types of agricultural waste. We also learn of attempts in many lesser developed nations to exploit their fungal bioresources and the efforts underway to make certain that developing nations and indigenous peoples reap their fair share of the proceeds from bioprospecting. The final chapter also argues that bioprospecting is a viable means of conservation and sustainable development.

While the book is interesting, the text could be taken more seriously had the editors only acknowledged the fundamental challenges of sustainable myco-resource utilization, fungal inventory monitoring, and development of fungal-based biological control agents. In their defense, more than a few of the contributors do point out the inherent challenges associated with management of sustainable development and fungal inventory research. Nonetheless the reader gets very few successes and a lot of dubious triumphs from the field of mycorrhizal ecology. In addition, the researchers conveniently neglect to state two very important points about the Matsutake myco-industry. Since Japan is the major market for Matsutake, this fledgling myco-industry would face ruin if this market collapsed. Furthermore, the opening of new Matsutake reservoirs in Russia, Central and South America continuously expands the supply-side while the demand-side has remained relatively constant. This in turn has had the obvious effect of lowering supply-side prices worldwide. As a result, although wildcrafting of Matsutakes and other botanicals is an important source of income in impoverished forest communities, it can not be looked upon as a key driver of sustainable development in these rural regions.

Although Chapela and Palm's Mycology in Sustainable Development starts off brilliantly, it quickly devolves into yet another thinly veiled plea for more funding for the contributors' pet research projects. The book's premise that the fungal kingdom has much to offer the worthwhile cause of sustainable development is quickly overpowered by paper after paper highlighting some dubious applications involving mycorrhizal fungi. Given the `global' title of the book, I was rather dismayed at the limited number of regions and countries represented and the overwhelming emphasis on the mycorrhizae. Granted, the mycorrhizae are a neglected area of research and do have much to offer the worthy cause of sustainable development. However, it would have been nice to see other classes of fungi and examples of sustainable development using the fungi in other regions of the world, particularly Africa and Asia, given an equivalent amount of exposure. Moreover, I was extremely dismayed at the paucity of information on edible mushrooms other than expensive exotics like Matsutake, given their often critical role in the health and nutrition of many of the world's communities and their extraordinary potential for global environmental improvement.

In conclusion, although this book contains some interesting information, it ultimately remains an optional addition to the library of the applied mycologist.