Mushrooms And Gender In Conservation: The MAGIC workshop
November 3-4, 2025
The Fungal Use Group (FUse) of the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Group (SULi) is pleased to host a two-day workshop on fungal conservation and gender (GROW) as part of this year’s ISFC4 meeting in Cotonou, Benin.
The workshop will consist of a mix of presentations, round-table discussions, and brainstorming sessions.
Our aim is to bring together researchers and practioners working at a range of career stages on topics including fungal resource use, ethnomycology, gender equality, public health, women’s reproductive health care, and development issues. While the focus of the workshop will be on Sub-Saharan Africa, attendees from other regions are also very welcome.
We will discuss opportunities, risks, threats and assumptions regarding fungal sustainable use and women’s livelihoods.
We will identify genera for which source data on harvest methods and scales of harvesting need to be prioritized.
We will examine the link between fungal livelihoods, gender and public health.
We will consider various strategies for sharing scientific data, ethnobiological data, and traditional ecological knowledge, to improve mushroom conservation practices while following and supporting fair practices regarding the protection and safeguarding of cultural heritage and intellectual property rights of indigenous and local communities.
Finally, we will introduce the Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) framework developed to bridge health, conservation, and sustainable livelihoods as a foundation for developing and planning future work at the intersection of fungal conservation and public health.
This is a closed workshop by invitation only.
There are a limited number of travel scholarships available (for airfare). 
Hotel stay and 
some meals will be covered for all attendees.
If you are interested in joining the workshop, please email Dr. Elizabeth Barron
