Scientists say advances in artificial intelligence and digital technology could mark a critical breakthrough in the race to identify and protect plant species before they disappear, according to a major report by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Emerging technologies are helping researchers monitor changes in flowering seasons across the globe, quickly identify newly discovered specimens, and extract valuable genetic information from fungus samples collected as far back as 180 years ago.
Experts believe these developments could unlock a vast “genomic goldmine.”
The digitisation of millions of archived specimens and their availability online is also generating fresh scientific insights, particularly in developing regions and the Global South.
Plants and fungi play a fundamental role in sustaining life on Earth by providing food and medicines, storing carbon, and helping regulate the climate.
However, scientists warn that around 40 per cent of the 70,000 plant species assessed so far are threatened with extinction, while an additional 330,000 species have yet to be evaluated.
Researchers also estimate that about 100,000 plant species remain undiscovered and unnamed.
Around 2,000 new plant species are identified each year, but this only “barely scratches the surface,” according to Alexandre Antonelli.
Scientists warn that many plants with the potential to provide new medicines, climate-resilient crops, and other valuable resources could disappear before they are ever discovered or studied.
The challenge is even greater for fungi. Researchers estimate that about 90% of the world’s roughly 2 million fungal species remain unknown to science, while fewer than 1% of identified fungal species have been assessed for their risk of extinction, highlighting major gaps in global biodiversity knowledge and conservation efforts.
“While documenting and protecting all life on Earth remain formidable challenges, digitisation and accompanying technologies make me increasingly hopeful that we’ll succeed,” said Antonelli.
AI can be trained to identify hard-to-distinguish plants, such as sedges and peat mosses, whose key characteristics are often microscopic. This allows scientists to detect new or endangered species more quickly, strengthening conservation efforts.
“These AI models can sometimes now identify better than specialists – that’s incredibly exciting,” he said.
