The Network for the Study of Fungal Diversity (NMD)

In February 2021, ISPRA launched the Network for the Study of Fungal Diversity (NMD) with the goal of collecting, organizing, and making accessible—via a single national database—records, specimens, and data (both historical and current) related to fungal species found in Italian habitats.

The Network is a collaborative system that integrates human, technological, and scientific resources to carry out the national census and monitoring of macrofungi, based on three main pillars:

• conducting research, data collection, analysis, and dissemination on fungal biodiversity using innovative management approaches grounded in open science;
• promoting digital tools to support cooperation among all participants and to define shared scientific standards;
• providing a consistent national knowledge base for stakeholders to support conservation policies for fungal communities in the face of climate change and its effects on ecosystems.

Open Science in the NMD Network

The Network adopts an open science approach to foster collaboration among experts and the broader scientific community by:

• sharing methodologies, processes, data, and standards;
• ensuring transparency in experimental procedures and data collection;
• guaranteeing the reliability and public reusability of scientific data;
• enabling public access and transparency in communication processes;
• using web-based tools to support standardized data collection.

Institutional References

The Network was established in line with Laws 132/2016 and 141/2019, which designate ISPRA as the institution responsible for aggregating environmental information from both public and private sources and ensuring its accessibility. ISPRA thus acts as the official technical and scientific reference body for the Italian state.
The data collected and shared by the Network are part of the National Environmental Information System (SINA) and are made available in an open, reliable, and standardized format.

Website of the Network for the study of mycological diversity