When I first stumbled into a temperate rainforest in Wales over a decade ago, captivated by a lush green atmosphere I had never seen before in a woodland, I didn’t realise how influential it would be in my career. I’m now a PhD researcher at Kew Gardens and Imperial College London, uncovering the mycorrhizal fungal diversity of Atlantic oakwoods and their role in restoring Britain's globally-important temperate rainforests.Naturally, my work spans a range of disciplines, including mycology, forest ecology, conservation, rewilding, carbon, climate science, and policy. Since graduating with a MSc in Plant and Fungal Taxonomy, Diversity and Conservation, I’ve worked as a plant conservation researcher at Kew Gardens, an ecological consultant carrying out mycological surveys for rewilding projects across the UK, and I am a founding member of Rhizocore Technologies where I manage our ever-growing collection of live fungal cultures.I am a contributing author of The Routledge Handbook of Rewilding (2022), in which I co-authored the chapter ‘Unseen connections: the role of fungi in rewilding’. By focusing on the recovery of self-regulating, biodiverse, and interconnected ecosystems, I believe we can push the boundaries for what can be achieved in fungal conservation.If you’re interested in finding out more about the importance of fungi in temperate rainforests, feel free to reach out. I’d love to chat!