Rethinking extinction risk? Criteria for assessing risk of extinction in plants should be reconsidered, experts argue
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 - 17:30
in Biology & Nature
For over 40 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has published the Red List of Threatened Species describing the conservation status of various species of animals. They're now also including plants in their lists and the picture they present is dramatic: according to recent estimates, around 20 percent of flowering plants are at risk of extinction. Now, however, new research suggests that the criteria for assessing extinction risk in plants should be reconsidered.