Grassland fungi mapping tool

Waxcaps and other grassland fungi showcase a stunning variety of colours and shapes, and are characteristic of ancient pastures, old lawns and grave-yards. Due to the historical management of British grasslands, the UK is one of the European strongholds for these species, several of which are classed as Threatened on the European Red List.

Grassland fungi require nutrient-poor soils and are very sensitive to ground disturbances – ploughing and fertilisation of soils lead to immediate loss of fungal diversity, and it takes over 50 years for grassland fungi to recover.

As land use in Scotland is changing, often for tree planting or agricultural reform, many of the areas that are rich in fungi may be considered for transformation. This mapping tool and report aims to highlight areas of fungal interest so that areas with high diversity and threatened species can be avoided early on in the planning process.

Explore the map

This map shows areas and rates their grassland fungal diversity. The sites are based on clusters of fungal records, but have no boundaries and so do not give entirely precise locations of fungal diversity – these species are only found in grasslands. The map gives a useful indication of presence.

• The red sites are of very high fungal diversity, and would ideally remain under the historical management regime that has benefited the fungi e.g. grazing or seasonal mowing
• The orange sites have medium fungal diversity, or have some ‘indicator’ species that suggest there is high diversity present. Further survey would be ideal at these sites before land transformation takes place
• The green sites have very few records, and are likely to be suitable for land transformation, though it is still possible these sites have just not been surveyed fully by a skilled ecologist
• Areas without records may be unsuitable habitat for grassland fungi i.e. areas that aren’t unimproved grassland, or they may still be very good sites that just haven’t been surveyed due to underrecording

The use of this tool should be alongside local knowledge or used alongside survey work, but it is hoped to be useful in early stages of planning

These mapping layers can be accessed and downloaded from Spatial Data.gov.scot

NatureScot Research Report 1327 - The creation of a Grassland Fungi Mapping Database for Scotland details how this mapping tool was created, and the database behind the tool.