Why plants disappear twice as fast as animals

Nearly 600 species of plants have disappeared from the wild in the last 250 years, according to research by scientists who have analyzed a population of 330,000 species of plants from around the world.

They claim that an average of three plant species have become extinct annually since 1900, which is 500 times faster than when the natural extinction of plants growing from seed occurs.

Most of this has happened in isolated islands such as Hawaii, Mauritius, then Australia and Brazil and India, where plant species are more vulnerable when it comes to environmental changes that are affected by humans.

Scientists say the areas of plant extinction coincide with areas of animal extinction.



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An insight into the rate of extinction

Most people manage to remember the name of a mammal or bird that has become extinct in recent centuries, but few can name the plants that are gone.

Thanks to this study, for the first time, we have an insight into which plants are already extinct, that is, how fast this has taken place.

Among the plants that are no longer on our planet is the Chilean sandalwood tree, which has been used extensively in the production of essential oils.

Most of them have disappeared in the islands and in the tropics, where these plants are most commonly grown.

Scientists have found that 571 species of plants have disappeared, twice the number of extinct birds, mammals and amphibians, or a total of 217 species.

It is feared the figure is higher

It is feared that this is not an actual picture and that the figure is much higher.

One positive thing is the fact that some plants believed to be extinct have been found again, such as Chilean saffron.

The problem of the disappearance of plants is of great importance, because life on Earth depends on them, they provide us with oxygen and food.

At the same time, the extinction of plants results in the extinction of other organisms that depend on them, such as some types of insects that feed on plants or use them to lay eggs.

Survival depends on the plants

The survival of millions of other species depends on the plants, and one of them is us humans. Since we now know which plants are disappearing, we need to replant them and try to conserve them to preserve other organisms.

Scientists believe that decisive steps should be taken very quickly to help prevent the plants from further extinction.

First of all, species of plants around the world should be recorded, herbarium preserving diverse plant specimens should be restored, support for botanists engaged in research, and teaching children how to identify plants that grow in their environment.

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