Islands host 1/3 of Earth’s plant species, conservation needed:
“This comprehensive study reveals the important role islands play in Earth’s botanical richness,” said study co-author and UH Mānoa School of Life Sciences Professor Emeritus Tom Ranker. “By quantifying the uniqueness of island flora and highlighting its vulnerability, this research underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect these irreplaceable hotspots of plant evolution.”
I’ve learned more about plants from living in Hawaiʻi than I ever thought I would have. Sadly this is also what makes it the extinction capital,
Officially, 366 of the Hawaiian plant taxa are listed as endangered or threatened, and an additional 48 species are proposed as endangered. While only comprising less than 1% of the U.S. land mass, Hawaiʻi contains 44% of the nation’s endangered and threatened plant species.