Workshop within the DiGraSo Project in Zittau, Germany

As part of the DiGraSo project, an expert workshop focused on the diversity of soil organisms, with special emphasis on conservation-relevant fungal taxa listed on national Red Lists, was held in Zittau on 12 November 2025. The meeting also included the planning of field activities for the upcoming vegetation season in 2026.
During the workshop, methodological procedures for soil sampling on paired plots located in protected areas in the Czech Republic and Germany were presented. In addition, laboratory approaches employing molecular analyses of soil microorganisms, fungi (mycobiota), and selected groups of soil fauna were introduced. Initial results concerning the diversity of the mycobiota and the surveys of macrofungi conducted on selected paired plots were provided to the participants.
The workshop was attended by representatives of key stakeholder institutions: Mrs Maren Mählig and Mrs Susann Koppelt from the Lower Nature Conservation Authority (Untere Naturschutzbehörde), and Mr Ronny Goldberg, a landscape ecologist at the Saxon Switzerland National Park and a researcher at Hochschule Zittau–Görlitz. Further experts actively participated in the workshop, including Dr Alexander Karich (specialised in mycology), Friederike Roy, Julian Escher, Prof Martin Hofrichter, and Dr Harald Kellner. Remote participation was also enabled for representatives from the Czech Republic, Vilém Pavlů and Jan Titěra.
This workshop contributed to strengthening inter-institutional collaboration, enhancing effective knowledge exchange, and improving the links between research activities and their practical application in nature conservation, particularly in the monitoring and protection of soil organisms in the regions involved.