Fungus for food could save forests

REPLACING a fifth of the beef people eat with fungi-based meat alternatives by 2050 could halve deforestation, a study suggests.

Population growth and increased meat consumption mean more forests could be cleared for grazing. But the study, published in the journal Nature, shows that replacing 20% of ruminant meat consumption per person with microbial protein by 2050 could stop the increase in pasture areas needed for grazing.