Kenneth Glad
Vast collections are being turned into digital evidence for scientists. The work could change how quickly researchers understand threats to nature.
Botanists are racing to identify plants and fungi before climate change, habitat loss and other pressures erase species that science has not yet fully recorded.
According to The Guardian, about 40 percent of assessed plant species are at risk of extinction.
Another 330,000 plant species have not yet been evaluated, leaving major uncertainty over what may already be in danger.
Millions of specimens move online
Kew’s latest State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report says large-scale digitisation is transforming biodiversity research. Specimens once kept mainly in archive drawers can now be searched, compared and studied by scientists around the world.
Kew has digitised 7.4 million specimens, including material collected by Charles Darwin. Globally, 145 million digital specimens are online, but that is still less than 16 percent of herbarium holdings.
Artificial intelligence is helping researchers recognise difficult species, including plants with features too small to easily distinguish by eye.
Prof Alexandre Antonelli of Royal Botanic Gardens told The Guardian: “These AI models can sometimes now identify better than specialists – that’s incredibly exciting.”
AI-assisted analysis is also revealing climate impacts. A study of 8 million digitised specimens found flowering times have shifted by an average of 2.5 days per decade over the past century.
Madagascar shows the value
In Madagascar, one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots, digitisation has opened access to 37,000 physical specimens.
Landy Rajaovelona of Kew Madagascar said: “Madagascar is one of the world’s most extraordinary biodiversity hotspots. By digitising [37,000 physical specimens], we’ve unlocked a treasure of knowledge spanning centuries, offering invaluable insights into today’s biodiversity.”
Fungi collections are also becoming more useful. Scientists can now recover high-quality genomes from specimens up to 180 years old, offering clues that may support future medicine and disease research.
But Kew’s report also warns that digital tools are not neutral. Poorly balanced data could reinforce global research inequalities, while AI data centres bring energy and water costs. The promise is real, but so is the need to use the technology carefully.
Sources: The Guardian, Kew
