Newly Discovered Plants and Fungi Highlight Urgent Need for Conservation
In a race against time, scientists at the Royal Botanical Garden Kew in the UK have named several new plant species, including a unique palm that flowers and fruits almost exclusively underground, two types of trees that live mostly underground, and a mysterious plant from Mozambique that appears to be carnivorous.
These new discoveries are a stark reminder of the urgent need for conservation efforts, as human destruction of natural habitats continues to drive many plant and fungi species to extinction.
Dr. Martin Cheek, part of RBG Kew’s Africa team, emphasized the importance of discovering and conserving these species, stating, “Without doing so, we risk losing these species without ever even knowing they existed.”
The destruction of natural habitats for farmland and other human development has put about 40% of named plant species at risk of extinction. Additionally, as many as 75% of the world’s undescribed plant species are thought to be threatened with extinction.
Dr. Raquel Pino-Bodas, also at RBG Kew, highlighted the importance of ramping up the search for new species, stating, “Among this incredible diversity of fungal species, we are bound to discover new sources of food, medicines, and other active compounds that can help us find nature-based solutions to big challenges.”
The discovery of these new species also underscores the value of Indigenous knowledge in accelerating the discovery of new species. Dr. William Baker and Dr. Benedikt Kuhnhäuser were tipped off about the underground palm by a Malaysian scientist and local communities that knew of the plant and its bright red fruit.
While these discoveries are cause for celebration, they also serve as a sobering reminder of the ongoing destruction of the natural world and the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these valuable and diverse plant and fungi species. We must act now to preserve and protect the unique biology and potential human uses of these newly discovered species before it’s too late.