Although Europe has a high diversity of fungi and many species are threatened, no fungal species are yet included in the appendices of the Bern Convention or the EU Habitats Directive. Conservation action has often neglected fungi due in part to past insufficient knowledge of their ecology, distribution and status. This report, which contains very detailed information on 33 species threatened in Europe, was originally prepared as a list of candidate species for protection at the European level. They certainly deserve the attention of conservation agencies

The breadth and depth of understanding of many areas concerning basidiomycetes has increased dramatically since the premier publication of Frankland et al., Decomposer Basidiomycetes: their Biology and Ecology. New vistas have opened up with the advent of powerful computing, modeling and molecular approaches helping to greatly increase the general understanding of the ecology of basidiomycetes. This is tantamount to understanding the role of fungi in natural ecosystems because they are major agents of decomposition and nutrient cycling. These remarkable advances have been incorporated into this volume that discusses all aspects of saprotrophic basidiomycete ecology.

The introduction of alien species can upset ecosystems and have been identified as the second main cause of species extinction at a global level after habitat loss or deterioration. This publication sets out a European strategy to address this issue, developed in the framework of the Bern Convention and in line with guidelines adopted in 2002 on biological diversity. This strategy seeks to encourage the implementation of co-ordinated measures in all European states which are designed to prevent or minimise adverse impacts of non-native species on native biological diversity.

Current research lays emphasis on exploring natural products for use in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals to overcome various side effects of synthetic drugs. Fungi occupy an eminent position among natural sources of food and medicinal importance since ancient times. Many fungal species have been eaten as food and used in folk medicine for the treatment of many human ailments as mentioned in traditional medical literature. However, scanty information is available pertaining to the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical importance of fungi which merits an extensive review. This book spotlights the use value macrofungi in human health. Macrofungi with health benefitting properties largely belong to Basidiomycota followed by Ascomycota growing indoor (cultivated) and outdoor (wild). We endeavoured to throw light on the benefits of macrofungal taxa in relation to their food and medicinal significance in human life. We provided knowledge pertaining to the ethnomycological significance of macrofungi with respect to their uses as food and medicine by the people inhabiting different parts of the world. This book highlights the nutritional composition and bioactive compounds present in macrofungi. We also focused on the pharmacological activities of macrofungi contributing towards their medicinal value against several human disorders. We cited many commercially available nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products of macrofungal origin. This work will hopefully serve as a basic reference for general public, mycologists, researches and industry men, interested in consumption, research and marketing of macrofungi.

The European bison, the largest herbivore in Europe, was once widely distributed throughout western, central and south-eastern Europe. But by the end of the 19th century there were only two populations left in the the wild, this drastic decline caused by competition for food from deer, cattle grazing in forests, wars and heavy poaching. By 1945 there were only 54 animals with proven pedigrees in zoos, descended from 12 ancestor animals (of which a mere two are dominant genetically). Moves to restore the wild population began in the 1920s, and the restitution has successfully maintained the breed's purity. In 2000, there were nearly 2900 bison registered by the European Bison Pedigree Book, existing in 191 enclosed and 31 free-roaming herds. Despite this success, there remain concerns over the loss of genetic variability - the inbreeding affects life span, viability of young animals, and the interval between calving and skeletal growth - and the presence of, and susceptibility to, several diseases, including foot-and-mouth and TB. Management of the habitat and local populations of bison is necessary to maintain the optimum bison habitat. It remains an endangered species, and its full recovery and re-naturalisation in the wild cannot be guaranteed.

This publication contains a number of reports prepared for a high-level conference on issues relating to biological and landscape diversity in European agricultural policies, held in Paris in June 2002. The conference made recommendations to states and relevant organisations and provided input to policy work and programmes within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ministerial Conference on Environment for Europe , the Convention to Combat Desertification and the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and national policy developments.

On title page: Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Habitats (Bern Convention)