Bleak picture for biodiversity as analysis of over 80,000 species forecasts more losers than winners

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/10/plants-humans-dont-need-extinction-biodiversity-study

Sofia QuagliaThu 10 Mar 2022 11.00 EST

Researchers have categorised more than 80,000 plant species worldwide and found that most of them will “lose” in the face of humanity – going extinct because people don’t need them.

This means that plant communities of the future will be hugely more homogenised than those of today, according to the paper published in the journalPlants, People, Planet.

The findings, which paint a stark picture of the threat to biodiversity, cover less than 30% of all known plant species, and as such are a “wake-up call”, say the researchers, highlighting the need for more…