Forest ecosystems undergo profound changes due to the combined effects of human activities on carbon footprints and climate change. Although we have evidence of such disturbances, the direct impact on the availability of food resources for local populations is still poorly understood. The present study aims to assess the different changes induced by humans in the natural habitats of ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) over time. Two complementary approaches were used: spatial analysis by remote sensing and a survey approach to local perception. In the latter, Landsat satellite images from 2000, 2010, and 2020 were used to assess the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use over the past 20 years and to project changes for 2040. Land use of natural habitats of EcM over the past two decades was mapped using supervised classification to determine the changes. During the field survey, 238 individuals from eight villages surrounding the Forest Reserve of Wari–Maro (FR–WM) were interviewed. The spatial analysis results showed a 49.05% decline in the natural habitats of ectomycorrhizal fungi, from 72.39 % in 2000 to 23.34% in 2020, with a projected decline to 12.8 % by 2040. In contrast, anthropogenic land uses such as tree savannah, shrub savannah, cropland–fallow, and bare soil-housing have increased. Additionally, 87% of interviewed respondents confirmed that they have reduced their visits to the natural habitats of fungi in the FR–WM. The threats to fungal habitats, in increasing order, are agricultural expansion (13.87 %), logging (24.37 %), and grazing, especially overgrazing (43.7 %). Increasing demographics (35,29 %), land scarcity (23.05 %), and poverty (21 %) are considered the main drivers, leading to the above threats. These anthropogenic pressures have led to a significant loss of natural ECM habitats, resulting in a decrease in the natural production of edible fungi from 16,999.92 tons of fresh biomass in 2000 to 5,481.05 tons in 2020, a 58% reduction over 20 years. If this trend continues without intervention, this production is projected to decrease to 3,006.82 tons of fresh biomass by 2040. To mitigate these threats and establish sustainable conservation of these EcM natural habitats, appropriate measures must be applied and monitored by all stakeholders involved in the sustainable management of the Wari-Maro Forest reserve.