Mycological Associations
Portugal’s Mycological Community
Portugal has no single national mycological association, but there is a network of organisations uniting enthusiasts, scientists, and practitioners. Most associations were founded in the 2000s, reflecting the relatively recent growth in mushroom interest.
Main Associations
A Pantorra — Associação Micológica
- Founded: 2000
- Location: Macedo do Peso (São Martinho do Peso, Mogadouro), Trás-os-Montes
- Membership: ~300 members
- Activities:
- Mycological walks with monitors (species identification, habitat, taxonomy, foraging rules)
- Encontro Micológico Transmontano — one of the country’s oldest mycological events
- Workshops on mushroom preparation and preservation
- Over 24+ years, identified more than 1,000 species of wild mushrooms in Trás-os-Montes
- Own app for mushroom identification (focus: Trás-os-Montes)
- International links: member of the European Mycological Association (EMA)
- Website: pantorra.pt
EcoFungos — Associação Micológica
- Founded: 2004 (active since 1997)
- Region: Lisbon Metropolitan Area, also active in Grândola, Golegã, Pedrógão Grande, Évora
- Structure: operates on a “friends” model (no formal members)
- Activities:
- Mycological walks (observation, identification, collection)
- Annual species inventories for a virtual herbarium
- Partnership with GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- Development of a Portuguese-language mushroom guide
Associação Micológica da Beira Interior (AMBI)
- Founded: 2001
- Location: Castelo Branco
- Focus: ecological association centred on Beira Interior
Clube de Micologia de Aguiar da Beira
- Founded: ~2015
- Associated with: Gabinete de Micologia (municipal mycology office — Portugal’s first)
- Activities: regular sessions with mycological cards, Certame Gastronómico do Míscaro fair
Scientific and Sector Organisations
CCRES — Centro de Competências dos Recursos Silvestres
- Type: competence centre uniting partner organisations
- Mission: knowledge sharing on wild resources (mushrooms, medronho, prickly pear, etc.)
- Goal: economic diversification in rural areas
- Projects: Anima_CCRES, Anima_CCRES 2.0 (supported by ADPM)
- Resource: detailed information on wild edible mushrooms at ccres.pt
MicNatur (Voz da Natureza)
- Type: BLC3 spin-off; R&D on native mushrooms and truffles
- Projects: Truflavours, FitoMicorrizas, MicoCoating
- Activities: identification courses, mushroom production, mycorrhization
Quercus — Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza
- Role in mycology: Portugal’s largest nature conservation organisation, actively advocating for regulation of mushroom foraging
- Position: mushrooms are collected without restrictions; conservation of habitats, inventory, specialist training, and regulation are needed
Universities and Research Centres
| Institution | Group / Centre | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Universidade de Coimbra | MyCoLAB (CFE) | Fungal diversity, ecology, conservation; “Cogumelos na Cidade” project |
| Universidade de Évora | MED & CHANGE | Desert truffles (Terfezia), mycorrhization (Celeste Santos-Silva) |
| IPB (Bragança) | CIMO | Bioactive compounds from mushrooms, functional foods (Isabel Ferreira) |
| Universidade do Minho | Micoteca (MUM) | International Depository Authority (WIPO), fungal culture collections |
| Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL) | Faculty of Sciences | Mycology courses, LISU herbarium |
| Universidade do Porto | Mycology Working Group | Revision of PO-F collection, taxonomy (restarted 2022) |
| UTAD | — | Anti-cancer properties of mushrooms, Fungi4Health project |
| INIAV | Mycology Laboratory | Mycotoxins, food safety |
Key Researchers
| Name | Institution | Specialisation |
|---|---|---|
| Celeste Santos-Silva | UÉvora | Desert truffles, description of new species |
| Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira | IPB / CIMO | Bioactive compounds (listed among the world’s most-cited researchers) |
| Nelson Lima | UMinho / MUM | International depository of fungal cultures |
| Susana C. Gonçalves | UCoimbra / MyCoLAB | Chair of ECCF, assessed 80+ species for IUCN Red List |
| João L. Baptista-Ferreira | FCUL | Mycotourism in Sintra, book on Sintra mushrooms |
| Anabela Marisa Azul | UCoimbra | Scientific curator of Festival Míscaros |
International Links
Sociedade Ibérica de Micologia (SIM)
- Unites mycologists of the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal, Spain, Canary Islands, Macaronesian Islands)
- Journal: Fungi Iberici — free scientific publication
- Website: micologiaiberica.org
CEMM — Confederação Europeia de Micologia Mediterrânica
- Over 4,000 mycologists
- Annual congresses (Bragança hosted in 2006 and 2022)
- A Pantorra — Portuguese member
Other
- RIIMICO — Ibero-American network (145 researchers, 13 countries)
- European Mycological Association (EMA) — A Pantorra is a member
- Grupo Português de Micologia (SPDV, since 2004) — medical mycology
Online Communities
| Platform | Description |
|---|---|
| BioDiversity4All / iNaturalist | Citizen science, 276,000+ records (plants, animals, fungi) |
| Cogumelos de Portugal (iNaturalist) | Specialised project for mushroom observations |
| Cogumelos de Portugal (forum) | Forum for knowledge sharing |
| Fungipedia Portugal | Information project, interactive identification |
Education
Formal (ICNF)
- UFCD 6359 — course for foragers
- UFCD 6358 — mushroom commercialisation
- Trainer certification courses in mycology
Commercial
| Organisation | Courses |
|---|---|
| Fungiperfect (since 2005) | Home and professional production, medicinal mushrooms |
| Aromas & Boletos | Advanced mushroom production on substrates |
| MicNatur | Wild mushroom identification, mushroom production |
University
- FCUL: Mycology (taxonomy, ecology of fungi)
- FCUP: Applied Mycology (mushrooms in nutrition and medicine)
- ESB (UCP): Mycology (diversity, biotechnology)
- UÉvora: fungal biology (master’s programme)
Government Bodies
- ICNF — regulation, training, Nature Tourism licences
- DGADR — resources, guides, partnership with ICNF
- INIAV — national mycology laboratories
- ASAE — market food safety control
More: Foraging laws and regulations
Image sources
- associations.webp — Fungi foray — a group of mycologists preparing for a walk. Author: Chris Reynolds. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source
Sources
- A Pantorra — pantorra.pt
- EcoFungos — Wilder.pt: trabalhando com a vida selvagem
- CCRES — ccres.pt
- Quercus — Apelo à regulamentação de cogumelos silvestres (2021)
- MyCoLAB — CFE, Universidade de Coimbra
- CIMO — IPB, Bragança
- Micoteca da Universidade do Minho (MUM)
- SIM — micologiaiberica.org
- BioDiversity4All — biodiversity4all.org
- ICNF — Formação em Micologia
The light is on for free. But someone has to clean the lantern.
☕ Support on Ko-fi