By Paul Homewood

It was not long ago that we were bombarded with ludicrous claims that a million species were threatened “by humans”.

A new study puts all of this into perspective:

Almost 600 plant species have been lost from the wild in the last 250 years, according to a comprehensive study.

The number is based on actual extinctions rather than estimates, and is twice that of all bird, mammal and amphibian extinctions combined.

Scientists say plant extinction is occurring up to 500 times faster than what would be expected naturally.

In May, a UN report estimated that one million animal and plant species were threatened with extinction.

Researchers say their analysis of all documented plant extinctions in the world shows what lessons can be learned to stop future extinctions.

Most people can name a mammal or bird that has become extinct in recent centuries, but few could name an extinct plant, said Dr Aelys Humphreys of Stockholm University.

"This study is the first time we have an overview of what plants have already become extinct, where they have disappeared from and how quickly this is happening," she added.

The lost plants include the Chile sandalwood, which was exploited for essential oils, the banded trinity plant, which spent much of its life underground, and the pink-flowered St Helena olive tree.

The biggest losses are on islands and in the tropics, which are home to highly valued timber trees and tend to be particularly rich in plant diversity.

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Stockholm University found that 571 plant species had disappeared in the last two and a half centuries, a number that is more than twice the number of birds, mammals and amphibians recorded as extinct (a combined total of 217 species).

This data suggests plant extinction is happening as much as 500 times faster than what would be expected normally, if humans weren’t around.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48584515

I think we can discount that last sentence for a start, as it implies only one species would have been lost in the last 250 years.

And as is noted, many losses are on islands, where inevitably species will die out for all sorts of reasons.

But the consensus is that there are more than 300,000 plant species (see here and here).

600 species out of that lot is miniscule, and does not support the current hysteria, particularly as this is spread over 250 years, long before SUVs and global warming.

Similarly, the figure of 217 animal species lost must be set against a background of 66,000 species in total.

Extinction is always an emotive word. Yet we know that species only go extinct when they are on their last legs, backed into an evolutionary cul-de-sac over a long period of time. Mankind may provide the final shove, but in most cases they would disappear naturally anyway.

via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

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July 1, 2019 at 05:45AM