The Mushroom Keepers: Fungi Foundation is Helping to Reclaim Fungal Heritage in India’s Forests

The Mushroom Keepers is the Fungi Foundation’s first short enthnomycology documentary in India. Set in the lush forests of Meghalaya, India, it traces the ancestral ties between fungi and the Khasi and Garo peoples—two Indigenous communities whose cultural identities are deeply rooted in seasonal mushroom foraging.

Through conversations with elders, The Mushroom Keepers is both a reflection on cultural erosion and a powerful call to action for fungal and biodiversity conservation. Filmed following Fungi Foundation’s Ethnomycology Ethical Guidelines and honoring data sovereignty, the project is a testament to respectful, community-rooted storytelling and research.

The Foundation as also recently been featured on Planet Wild to talk about Funga—a call for fungi to be recognised alongside plants and animals in global conservation frameworks. Despite their central role in ecosystem health—decomposing matter, forming symbiotic networks, and enabling plant life—fungi are still excluded from most international biodiversity policies, including UN agreements.

This film takes viewers from forest floors to microscopic mycelia, uncovering why fungi have been overlooked, and why that must change. It also spotlights the Fungi Foundation’s policy work to embed "Funga" into environmental language, law, and education. The documentary is a rich and urgent call to shift how we see—and protect—nature.

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