Improved management for special rainforest remnant

 in conservation / Macrofungi / Projects / Publications by

Photo courtesy of The Friends of Mary Cairncross Association

Shhhhh, don’t tell all the other tourists, but visitors to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve (MCSR) quietly enjoy the best views of the sprawling majesty of Daki comon/Glass House Mountains in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Among the well-maintained paths of this special rainforest remnant, is home to not only local animals and plants, but some of Queensland’s most amazing fungi and slime moulds.

The MCSR is maintained through the efforts of the Sunshine Coast Council and The Friends of Mary Cairncross Association. For decades, a team of volunteers, citizen scientists, experts and council staff have been recording the natural history of the Reserve to assist in protecting and preserving its incredible diversity.

In 2010, the Friends and environment team at the Council asked Fun Fungi Ecology to do a macrofungal survey of the reserve. Then in 2023, we followed up with a series of recommendations to improve the understanding of MCSR’s rich fungal diversity and how these contribution to the ecological health of the reserve.

Our report, Integrating fungi into biodiversity research & monitoring to improve conservation, restoration & resilience outcomes at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, presents a number of recommendations to boost the Friends’ and Council’s efforts. The full report is linked below.

Before the report was even finalised, the Council were keen to get started on some of our key recommendations:

  • Collecting baseline soil and litter data
  • Building a local molecular reference barcode library
  • Introducing a citizen science volunteer DNA survey program

Interested in a survey or integrating fungi into your project?

New technological advancements, particularly in the accessibility of DNA sequencing, can drastically improve conservation and restoration efforts. Get in touch at info@funfungiecology.com if you’d like to find out more about how Fun Fungi Ecology can help your land management project.

Integrating Fungi to Improve MCSR – Ver 2.1 Oct 2025 (PDF, 18MB)

Integrating Fungi to Improve MCSR – Ver 2.1 Oct 2025 – LOW RES (PDF, 8MB)

McMullan-Fisher, SJM, Corro, E, & Fielder, JC 2024 Integrating fungi into biodiversity research & monitoring to improve conservation, restoration & resilience outcomes at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. Fun Fungi Ecology Report to Sunshine Coast Council, Merlynston.