Often hidden from view, fungi are critical part of our ecosystems. Some can be eaten as mushrooms; others help trees and forests thrive. But that's not all: they're also helping us create low-cost, sustainable housing materials and additional income for farmers, says Gabriela D'Elia, director of the Fungal Diversity Survey and a fungi enthusiast, in a recent Mongabay video.
"Fungi are showing us new ways to live in allyship with the planet," D'Elia says.
In an episode of Mongabay's video series "Against All Odds," which highlights the latest environment trends and solutions through interviews with experts, D'Elia gives us a breakdown of the different kinds of solutions that fungi offer to humans.
Take oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), for example. In Namibia, a project called BioHab uses them to support food security, livelihoods and housing. The project members start by clearing Acacia mellifera, or blackthorn bush, which has encroached upon the country's savannas. This serves two purposes: Blackthorn is "a fantastic substrate" to grow mushrooms on, D'Elia says, and harvesting the shrub allows native grassland to grow and feed cattle and antelope. Meanwhile, the cultivated oyster mushrooms help farmers earn a living, while the waste from their cultivation is pressed, baked and turned into dense blocks that can be used as building materials.
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