Do mosses exist outside of Europe? A biomonitoring reflection

Abstract The passive moss biomonitoring technique has been proved a useful environmental tool for the study of the air quality. However, after more than 40 years of its discovery, it has not been used yet in decision making when dealing with atmospheric pollution. Scientific efforts and funding are wasted when these sort of findings do not have a meaningful impact on society. Thus, the aim of this review is to showcase the reasons preventing the worldwide application of the moss technique. The results showed that the possible reasons underlying this problem are the lack of standardization of the technique, transmission of a false idea of robustness, and the lack of a theoretical background. Knowing and accepting these problems is the first step to encourage scientists and funding bodies to invest their efforts in really improving the technique for its application in environmental policies and not only in scientific circles.