JoNeF ( Joint Network for Wild Fungi ) is a project/action coordinated by ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) and aims to enhance the knowledge and conservation of macrofungi in Europe, as despite the crucial role of macrofungi in ecosystems, they are often overlooked in environmental policies, which traditionally focus on animals and plants. The JoNeF action project was presented to the IMPEL network (European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law) in November 2022, approved by the General Assembly on 8 June 2023 and officially launched in July 2023. The aim of the project is to highlight the important role of macrofungi as an integral part of biodiversity for the balance of ecosystems and to raise awareness of the need for their protection. The central objective of JoNeF is to integrate macrofungi into legislation concerning nature and biodiversity in Europe and into actions to monitor and conserve their biodiversity.
The project involves a group of researchers, educators, and consultants from all over Europe, who collaborate to make the protection and conservation of macrofungal biodiversity in forests a reality.
In this important project from Greece, the researchers participating as members of JoNeF are:
Dr. Eleni Topalidou, Principal Investigator, Forest Research Institute, ELGO DIMITRA
Dr. Panagiotis Madesis, Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Thessaly, School of Agricultural Sciences