Plant Study Reveals More Than 2,000 New Species

Researchers have warned that one in five of the world's 391,000 vascular plant species could become extinct.

The State of the World's Plants report compiled by botanists at Kew Gardens collates, for the first time, every vascular plant species in the world and identifies which are under threat.

Vascular plants, which exclude mosses and algae, conduct water and minerals and constitute one of the most important elements of biodiversity by forming the foundation of much of the world's ecosystem.

The report reveals that more than 2,000 plant species were discovered in 2015 alone, including a five-foot-tall Brazilian sundew, Drosera magnifica.

It was first identified on Facebook by a sundew specialist reviewing photos taken years earlier by an orchid hunter.

But the number of 'invasive species' which can damage the environment has increased to some 5,000.

So-called 'invasives' are thought to cost the UK economy £1.7bn per year, with Japanese knot weed alone estimated to cost £165m to control.

Colin Clubbe, head of conservation science at Kew Gardens, said: "These invasives are working against native species and changing landscapes. In the long term we may end up losing whole populations, or possibly even species."

Some species under threat include the coffee arabica plant, which is particularly prone to disease.

Bananas and aubergines are also vulnerable to climate change and pests.

Many plants are already in "extinction debt", the report suggests, hit by global warming but with the true impacts not set to be revealed for some time.

Professor Kathy Willis, the director of Kew Science, said: "We are facing some devastating realities if we do not take stock and re-examine our priorities and efforts in answering the bigger questions we face today, from global food security to mitigating the worst impacts of climate change.

"This report will be a baseline for all on the important indicators that tell us how we are faring and show us the direction we as a global community can go, if we so choose."

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