Basics for the alien fungi of Switzerland

As part of this long-term project, we are collecting data on alien fungi in Switzerland, advising the federal government and the cantons, and drawing up practical guidelines, such as factsheets on invasive fungi species. The roadmap for this project was initially established with the Swiss Strategy on Invasive Alien Species in 2016. Since then, a collaborative effort between various data and information centers, including SwissFungi, SwissLichens, SwissBryophytes, InfoFlora, and InfoFauna, along with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), has been dedicated to implementing this strategy. Our first important step involved updating the lists of alien species. As a result, the publication "Alien Species in Switzerland", initially released in 2006, was updated at the end of 2022. Subsequently, we proceeded to evaluate the environmental impact caused by these alien species. To accomplish this, we adopted the recommended approach by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), known as the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT). This and other information on alien species is now used by the FOEN to prioritise species (according to the classification system of the Neobiota Strategy 2016) with regard to their control.

On the SwissFungi website there is a section on neomycetes with a list of all alien fungi in Switzerland and other valuable information on Switzerland's neomycetes.