New estimate: from a study in 189 countries. According to scientists at Duke University between 22 and 47% of plant species is in danger
Prior estimates put this figure at around 13% in Ecuador, 83% of the endemic species would be at risk in the country only fragmentary data are
If the study published today in Science magazine is correct, human beings do not care their kingdoms and squandered the legacy that future generations should: according to the estimate made by Nigel Pitman Peter Jorgensen, Duke University, United States, almost half of the species Plant of the globe could be threatened with extinction.
"It is well known that 13%, the figure most often cited to calculate the fraction of the global flora threatened, it is a serious underestimate" the researchers write, "because it includes a reliable count of endangered species in the tropical latitudes, that is where it grows most of the world's plants. Our calculation gives a figure of between 22 and 47%, much higher than previously thought. As the number of plant species on Earth remains a matter of discussion, we two separate calculations on the basis of two recent estimates, 310,000 and 422,000. "
reaching this conclusion, scientists had to use published and unpublished data on endemic (confined to one area), endangered species and area for 189 countries.
Draw this picture, however, was not easy: the data on global patterns are scarce, making it difficult to assess the true extent of the plant crisis.
"The results suggest that half of the species can be considered threatened with extinction, according to the classification of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)."
For specialists, tropical countries are the ones who bear the brunt of destruction. A large proportion of species potentially threatened are found in countries of that part of the globe, in which match a variety of flowers and massive loss of habitat.
"83% of plant species endemic to Ecuador, they say, qualify as threatened under the criteria of IUCN."
Here in the country, there are no data to quantify the depletion of natural scenery.
According to Dr. Alicia Burghardt, Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Buenos Aires "in Argentina did not make estimates like these, only fragmentary data may be available. There is no scientific policy this regard. "
is not easy to assess the effects of the disappearance of a species on an ecosystem. "You have to consider case by case underlines the specialist. It may not happen much, or it may disappear the ecosystem."
And she adds: "These are not conserving to preserve ... The warning comes on the one hand, the disappearance of the wooded areas, the plants that produce oxygen, but I know of serious scientific studies about what is the impact of deforestation in the production of this gas. On the other hand, there are many species of great use to humans, and if they disappear before being studied, this potential benefit is lost forever. It is true that all that is prospective is controversial, but it is also undeniable that networking is positive conservation and seed banks. In Brazil there are very good. "
agricultural engineer and a PhD in biology Carlos Villamil, Professor, Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the Universidad Nacional del Sur, and member of the IUCN Plant is a specialist in the field . "Some time ago we are trying to make a list of threatened plants in Argentina, but is still very fragmentary. Although some information is found in the literature, in most cases the data is missing. "
According to U.S. investigators, a database updated on all endangered species would require an investment of one hundred dollars per species, about twelve million dollars annually.
"Only a venture of this nature is able to monitor and prevent large-scale extinctions predicted for this century in the tropics," they warn.
global warming in New Delhi
While representatives from nearly 200 countries try to agree on the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, another study published today in Science and signed by the team of Martin Hoffert, a physics professor University of New York, concludes that do not exist, for now, technologies that can replace the energy produced by fossil fuels. According to scientists, it requires a heavy investment in developing alternative energy sources to avoid an ecological disaster. By Nora Bär
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