Giuliana Furci

‍

Giuliana Furci is a field mycologist, foundress and Executive Director of the Fungi Foundation, the first NGO dedicated to fungal conservation in the world. She is an associate at Harvard University, a National Geographic Explorer, a Dame of the Order of the Star of Italy and the deputy chair of the IUCN Fungal Conservation Committee. Her work triggered the inclusion of fungi in Chilean environmental legislation in 2014 and made it possible to assess the conservation status of over 80 species of fungi. 

‍

Giuliana is the author of several works, including a series of three field guides to Chilean fungi. She also co-authored  the paper that delimits the term “funga,” the 3F Proposal (Fauna, Flora & Funga), and the State of the World's Fungi (Kew, 2018). 

‍

Through her work at the Fungi Foundation, Giuliana has led initiatives such as the creation of a free mycological curriculum—available in English, Spanish and Portuguese—for educators worldwide to integrate fungal education into their classrooms. She has also overseen the production of documentaries that have screened at international festivals, participated in IUCN Red List workshops, helped establish and fund Fungi Festivals in Chile, and founded the FFCL Fungarium, where she serves as curator. This biological reservoir is continuously studied in collaboration with experts from Harvard University, Conicet Argentina, University of Florida, and other institutions. 

‍

As a field mycologist, she has helped describe three new species: Psilocybe stametsii (2023), Amanita galactica (2020) and Cortinarius chlorosplendidus (2019), as well as conducted mycological expeditions in close to 20 countries including Australia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, Chile and Turkey. 

‍

She is an associate at Harvard University, a National Geographic Explorer, a Dame of the Order of the Star of Italy and the deputy chair of the IUCN Fungal Conservation Committee. She has held consulting positions in U.S. philanthropic foundations as well as full-time positions in international and Chilean marine conservation non-profits. She sits on the Board of Fundación Acción Fauna, and on the Advisory Board of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), and other organizations. 

‍

Giuliana has received several distinctions, including the 2022 Buffett/National Geographic Leadership in Conservation in Latin America Award, the 2022 Gordon and Tina Wasson Award from the Mycological Society of America, and the 2013 Presidents Award from the International Society for Fungal Conservation.

‍

Giuliana has given lectures, courses, and seminars in more than 10 countries around the world, on 4 continents. Her work with the Fungi Foundation has been featured in international media such as the New York Times, The Guardian, Science Magazine, BBC, The Atlantic, and the Times of India.

‍