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Interactive Map Shows 62 Quadrillion Fungal Miles, Mostly Unprotected.

6/17/2026

Summary

Scientists Map Fungi

Scientists released an interactive map showing fungal filaments that total about 62 quadrillion miles—enough for a Sun-to-Earth round-trip one billion times.
The map identifies dense hotspots in the Anatolian steppe and Everglades, but under 10 % of the densest clusters lie inside protected areas.
SPUN urges using fungal data for conservation, noting grasslands and wetlands have the highest density, intensive farms the lowest, and under eight thousand wood-wide web species have IUCN assessments.

Summary

Researchers Map Fungi

Researchers will present a mycorrhizal fungal map at the 2026 UN climate conference to embed fungi in policy.
The study estimates fungi move about 4 billion tons of CO2-equivalent into soils annually, roughly 11 % of human emissions.
A 2025 Nature analysis found more than 90 % of mycorrhizal biodiversity hotspots lie outside protected areas.
Scientists say legal frameworks give fungi little protection, with most species lacking IUCN assessments and no statutes.

Summary

Scientists Quantify Carbon

The study estimates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks store roughly ~300 megaton of carbon, about 4-6 times the mass of all living humans.
Researchers combined machine-learning models with robotic imaging of more than 300,000 living hyphae grown at the Amsterdam research institute AMOLF to predict network density in unsampled regions.
The interactive Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map, created with data-visualization designer Moritz Stefaner, offers publicly available estimates for every 1 km² of terrestrial land, excluding ice caps and poorly sampled areas.
Carbon movement through the networks was measured at speeds up to 120 µm/sec, roughly equivalent to 400 km/hr if experienced inside the hyphae.

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Scientists Map Fungi

Scientists released an interactive map showing fungal filaments that total about 62 quadrillion miles—enough for a Sun-to-Earth round-trip one billion times.
The map identifies dense hotspots in the Anatolian steppe and Everglades, but under 10 % of the densest clusters lie inside protected areas.
SPUN urges using fungal data for conservation, noting grasslands and wetlands have the highest density, intensive farms the lowest, and under eight thousand wood-wide web species have IUCN assessments.

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