46 Species of Macro Fungi Found in Kelimutu National Park

Image: article cover, from Ridwan et al. (2018), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

A research team from the Centre for Research and Development of Environmental Quality and Laboratory has recorded 46 species of macro fungi from 23 families in Kelimutu National Park, East Nusa Tenggara. The study, published in the Journal Wasian in 2018, surveyed five trails at altitudes of 1,000 to 1,700 metres above sea level. Macro fungi are fungi whose fruiting bodies are visible to the naked eye, such as umbrella mushrooms and wood-decay fungi.

According to the study, some of these species have potential for cultivation as food and medicinal ingredients. The research team also noted that these fungi grow at altitudes of roughly 1,045 to 1,616 metres above sea level. This restricted altitudinal distribution makes the presence of macro fungi one of the characteristic features of the Kelimutu area.

For communities living around the forest and for national park managers, this species list can serve as an initial basis for identifying useful fungi. However, the study is only at the stage of species identification and has not yet tested cultivation or medicinal properties. The use of fungi in the Kelimutu area should therefore be carried out carefully so as not to disturb species growing wild in the forest.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Macroscopic Fungi Species in Kelimutu National Park, East Nusa Tenggara by Ridwan Fauzi Ridwan, Muhamad Yusup Hidayat Hidayat and Grace Serepina Saragih Grace, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 5 No. 2 (2018). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Ridwan, R. F., Hidayat, M. Y. H., & Grace, G. S. S. (2018). Macroscopic Fungi Species in Kelimutu National Park, East Nusa Tenggara. Jurnal Wasian, 5(2), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.62142/4dx06587

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.