Flora, Fauna, Funga

Synopsis

This short film follows Chilean mycologist Giuliana Furci’s search for new mushrooms in far southern Chile, on the main island of Tierra del Fuego. She’s joined by biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake and mycologist Toby Kiers from SPUN, the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, whose goal is to map the mycorrhizal networks of the world. Together, the three scientists illuminate how—through nutrient cycling and the essential relationships they form with plants—fungi underpin every ecosystem on Earth, and outline a strategy for greater fungal inclusion in conservation policy.