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A recent study has found that plants are going extinct at an unprecedented rate.
Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew / kyu / and Stockholm University analyzed reports of plant extinctions around the world. They discovered that nearly 600 plant species have perished in the last 250 years, and an average of three plants go extinct each year since 1900. The scientists said that this is 500 times faster than the natural extinction rate, or if human activities did not harm the plants.
The scientists admitted that they may be underestimating the magnitude of the extinction, and that the real rate may be even higher. Their analysis did not include plants that still exist but can no longer reproduce.
In addition to this, the scientists also said that human activities lie at the heart of this calamity, blaming deforestation for creating farmlands as the main culprit. They also said that plants in isolated islands and in the tropics are the most vulnerable. The places that have the highest records of plant extinctions are Hawaii, South Africa, Brazil, and India.
Plant extinction poses a threat to many species, including humans, because a great number of living organisms rely on plants for food and oxygen. However, one of the researchers said that people have “plant blindness,” which means that they lack awareness about plant extinction and are more interested in conserving animals. Hence, the scientists are hoping that the findings will encourage plant conservation programs and lead to more unidentified plants to be documented.