More than 570 plant species have disappeared in the past 250 years - twice the number of birds, mammals and amphibians recorded as extinct, a new study has found. Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Stockholm University carried out a global analysis of plant extinction records to come up with the figure. The study found that 571 plant species have disappeared in the last 250 years - four times more than the current listing of extinct plants. The scientists found the highest rates of plant extinction to be on islands, in the tropics and in areas with a Mediterranean climate. “This new understanding of plant extinction will help us predict (and try to prevent) future extinctions of plants, as well as other organisms.

Source: The Irish Times June 11, 2019 09:00 UTC