With over 100,000 unknown pla species estimated to exist, many of which are at risk of extinction, a new research project led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has ideified key areas of the world to focus botanical research on.
The study, published in the journal New Phytology, builds on Q’s previous findings that three-quarters of previously unknown pla species are likely to be threatened, including areas of high biodiversity around the world, from Madagascar It has ideified as far as Bolivia. These areas are called “dark spots” because, despite their high poteial in the field of biodiversity, they have been less studied so far.
Scieists believe that the discovery of these unknown species can lead to significa advances in various fields, including medicine, energy and other innovations. Professor Alexander Aonelli, director of science at Kew and senior author of the study, emphasized the importance of the research, warning that given the high rate of species extinction, many of these plas will be lost before they are ideified.
The findings of this study show that Asian regions, especially Sumatra Island, Eastern Himalayas, Assam in India and Vietnam, have the greatest poteial to discover new pla species. Also, Madagascar, the Cape Provinces in South Africa and areas in South America such as Colombia, Peru and Southeast Brazil have been ideified as focal pois of pla biodiversity.
Ierestingly, many of these areas overlap with protected areas known as “biodiversity hotspots”. These areas are of particular importance due to their biological richness and the serious threats they face. Dr. Samuel Pieronon, one of the main authors of this research, poied out the importance of protecting biodiversity, and emphasized that the ideification and protection of unknown species is the main prerequisite for achieving global goals in the field of nature protection.
The researchers of this project emphasized the importance of collaboration between scieists and local communities and invited the public to coribute to this global effort by registering images of unknown plas on citizen science platforms. However, they cautioned that arbitrary collection of plas is prohibited due to iernational biodiversity protection laws and its impact on the survival of species. The findings of this research highlight the vital importance of ideifying and protecting unknown pla species. By focusing on the areas ideified in this study and strengthening collaboration between scieists and local communities, effective steps can be taken to conserve biodiversity and enjoy its benefits.
