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Augusto Chaves Batista was the Brazilian mycologist who established the Institute of Mycology at the University of Recife (IMUR) in 1954. During the 1950's the Institute became the home of two important mycological collections: the herbarium Herbário Camille Torrend, and the culture collection Micoteca URM Profa. Maria Auxiliadora Cavalcanti. Today the Herbarium and Culture Collection form part of the Department of Mycology Prof. Chaves Batista at the Federal University of Pernambuco. Over the past 60 years the activities of IMUR have been influenced by the contributions of several national and international researchers and by a variety of socioeconomic and political events affecting the country as a whole. Several distinct lines of research have characterised the development of the IMUR. These include the taxonomic and systematic study of fungi; the diversity of fungi on and in various substrates; the ecology of fungal symbioses as lichens and mycorrhiza; the implications of fungi for the bioremediation and maintenance of soils; and the industrial uses of fungi. These specialities, combined with the study of medically important fungi, were important themes in its history, and they continue to be so in the twenty-first century. In addition to scientific research, the activities of Prof. Batista and collaborators contributed directly to the training and development of many mycologists. Professor Batista also established the need for continuous government investment in order to preserve the diversity of fungi ex situ and to contribute to programs that ensure the preservation of the many natural ecosystems that depend on them.