Report of the Special Subcommittee on Governance of the Code with Respect to Fungi

The Special Subcommittee on Governance of the Code with Respect to Fungi was established at the XVIII International Botanical Congress (IBC) in Melbourne in. 2011, with the mandate to consider what specialized procedures and by-laws may be desirable for dealing with changes to fungal nomenclature, and to report to the XIX IBC in Shenzhen in 2017. The Subcommittee conducted extensive discussions, summarized in this report. A majority view (80%) within the Subcommittee and a majority of mycologists polled at the International Mycological Congress (IMC) in Bangkok in 2014 support changes to governance of the Code encapsulated in two proposals published in this issue. These proposals cover election of the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi by an IMC and establishment of Fungal Nomenclature Sessions at IMCs to deal with proposals that relate solely to fungi, with procedures replicating those of the Nomenclature Sections of IBCs, excluding institutional votes. This report provides the supporting documentation for the two proposals. The report and the proposals should be read alongside each other.