Europe
May 12, 2016
There are 31,128 useful plant species. Here they are organised by category. Click to enlarge. Image courtesy Kew Royal Botanic Gardens.
Today we now have more clarity on global vegetation than ever before due to a year-long, first-of-its-kind scientific study. With 390,900 plant species in the world, 21% of those are threatened with extinction according to ‘The State of the World’s Plants Report – 2016’, commissioned by Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, in the UK. The study involved many scientific experts and is essential reading for any person, organisation or political party who truly cares about the health status of nature today.The study shows the global cost of invasive species is estimated at nearly 5% of the world’s economy — on the British economy alone that’s about £1.7 billion (€2.15 billion) annually.
This is caused by at least 4,979 invasive species identified by the conservationists.”We know what we are dealing with, we can then look at them, and see what’s similar, what makes a good invasive, and then see how we can use that information to have better management practices in place or recommendations for how you deal with them,” said Dr. Colin Clubbe, who is head of conservation science at Kew, to the BBC on 10 May 2016.
The research team looked at current published scientific literature, analysing global databases and creating new datasets. This included combining existing information about vascular plant species — which typically grow upright and include a system for transporting water, minerals and products of photosynthesis — plus new findings and an update on current knowledge gaps.
The study is a hefty 88 pages, but what caught our attention is the fact pests and diseases are labelled as a major problem in causing plant species to disappear.
On page 50 it says, “Invasive species are one of the most important drivers of biodiversity loss.” And, “Highly invasive Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), introduced as an ornamental plant to Britain in the mid-19th century, costs Great Britain more than £165 million annually to control.”
Then there’s the problem of viral, fungal and bacterial diseases that kill plants and increase food security issues. This may account for annual crop yield losses of up to 16% globally. Around 5,000 plant species globally provide human food; a further 5,000 are possible gene sources — species that are potentially useful in genetic improvement of crops. Cultivating crop wild relatives as a pool of genetic variation can help drive the improvement of crops into the future, but that’s enough content for another blog post.
In the UK the problem of Japanese knotweed is so severe that if someone is found to have caused its spread in the wider community they can be fined heavily or given a prison sentence.
Chopping these weeds only helps them grow further. Better methods of control include applying herbicides such as glyphosate, which acts on the weed’s protein-synthesis biochemical pathway and literally starves the plant. Glyphosate has low toxicity to humans and mammals based on 90,000 pages and over 3,200 peer-reviewed publications supporting its history of safe use. For more information please read here.
Alternatives to dealing with knotweed are infrared burners that ignite debris and dry foliage, vinegar and flamethrowers — all of which have higher risks to humans and environment when used at larger scales. But, this year some bans of glyphosate have occurred in places such as Bristol due to unscientific heath concerns driven by activists. Can we really afford not to use the best tools we have to deal with the real problem of invasive plants identified by scientific experts?
You can access the full report online here: RBG Kew (2016). The State of the World’s Plants Report – 2016. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
RELATED RELEASE
State of the World's Plants report released by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
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