Updated / Tuesday, 16 Jun 2026 14:09
A new report suggested that threats to plant species could now be identified much quicker with AI (stock image)
Artificial intelligence and digitisation have been identified as a potential turning point in the "race against extinction" faced by botanists trying to identify and save vital plants before they vanish, according to a new report.
A new report from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London suggested that threats to plant species could now be identified much quicker.
Speaking to RTÉ's News at One, Executive Director of Science at Kew Dr Alexandre Antonelli said this work normally took a long time to complete.
"Because people until now would have to jump on a plane and come all the way to queue to study specimens that have been stored in cupboards and boxes for centuries.
"Now by just going online, anyone anywhere can access that information and speed up that conservation and research work, which is so important to our lives on Earth," he said.
Dr Antonelli said that 45% of all flowering plants are currently at risk of extinction.
"Our estimates now predicted about 45% of all plants, the flowering plants, are at risk of extinction. They may no longer be with us at the end of the century.
"It's almost half of all the species we see around us," he said.
Dr Antonelli added: "But in particular, in tropical regions, which are so diverse, many species are only found in very narrowly distributed ranges, like a mountain valley or a particular patch of rainforest.
"Protecting them is not only to safeguard our own future, but also all the other species that depend on them."
Dr Antonelli said that the research also focused on fungi, which he described as "the next frontier of biodiversity research".
"We now have documented about a bit more than 100,000 species, but we know that the real number is somewhere around 2.5 million.
"We've identified and scientifically described less than 7% or so of all fungal species on the planet," he said.
"No one cared about that green mold growing on bread until Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, which then saved hundreds of billions of lives.
Dr Antonelli added: "Every single species of fungus could provide humankind with incredible benefits in terms of, again, source of food, but also medicine.
"By losing them, we would also lose those opportunities in the future."
Read the full article at RTÉ News →
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