More than 170 plants and fungi previously unknown to science will be named for the first time in 2024 by scientists at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and its partners.
The new discoveries of a toothy toadstool from Britain, an orchid from across Indonesia and a vine from tropical Asia are included in a list of 149 plants and 23 fungi found in nearly every corner of the globe.
But Kew scientists and their collaborators caution that biodiversity continues to be lost globally, with some species already at risk of extinction due to human activity. I warned you.
Dr Martin Cheek, senior research leader on Kew’s Africa team, said: “The sheer privilege of being able to describe a species as new to science is a thrill unlike anything many people will ever experience.” Ta.
But he added: “The devastating reality is that new species are almost always on the verge of extinction, and finding and describing them all is a race against time.”
The team urgently needs more funding, training and public awareness about the importance of plant and fungal taxonomy, he said.
“Biodiversity loss is a crisis that affects us all. Every unknown species we lose could become a potential new food or new medicine we didn’t even know existed. .”
Among the dozens of newly named species, Kew scientists focused on a marzipan-scented vine and a ghostly palm from Borneo.
Other top picks include bracket fungi, discovered in Buckinghamshire, England, and a family of plants that do not have the ability to photosynthesize and instead rely entirely on mycorrhizal fungi for their nutritional source.
But some new species are already at risk of extinction, such as a Vietnamese vine species threatened by the clearing of natural habitat for cement production.
Scientists work with international partners wherever possible to protect plants in their natural habitat by incorporating them into a network of Important Plant Areas (IPAs).
If on-site conservation is not possible, Kew gardeners collect plant material to propagate them in the Living Collection at Gardens in West London, or at the Millennium at Kew’s Wild Botanical Garden Wakehurst in Sussex. You can save your seeds in a seed bank.
Professor Kew warned that the scale of this challenge is enormous, with scientists around the world reporting that on average 2,500 new plants and 2,500 fungi emerge every year.
However, it is estimated that 100,000 plant species and 2 to 3 million fungal species may remain undiscovered.
Dr Anna Bajicarpo, research leader in comparative fungal biology at RBG Kew, said: It is probably endangered and may disappear before it is recognized. ”
However, Dr. Bazicarpo said there are many positive developments in 2024, including the international fungal conservation pledge to protect and conserve fungi made at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit Cop16 in Colombia in November. said.
