Human destruction of the living world is causing a “frightening” number of plant extinctions, according to scientists who have completed the first global analysis of the issue. They found 571 species had definitely been wiped out since 1750 but with knowledge of many plant species still very limited the true number is likely to be much higher. The researchers said the plant extinction rate was 500 times greater now than before the industrial revolution, and this was also likely to be an underestimate. And some plant species may have gone extinct before ever being discovered. Photograph: Kew GardensThe database of plant extinctions is the result of years of scouring scientific journals and fieldwork reports.

Source: The Guardian June 10, 2019 15:00 UTC