Biodiversity
Water
plants, damaging natural ecosystems, transforming landcover and often causing huge economic losses. In the UK, this
includes the highly invasive Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria
japonica), introduced as an ornamental plant to Britain in the
mid-19th century and costing Great Britain more than £165
million annually to control (report pages 48-51).
The report calls for closer collaboration between institutions
and organisations working with invasive species to enable
the establishment of a single global list that documents
taxonomy, threat, distribution, control and other relevant
information. Stricter enforcement of legislation and increased
implementation of quarantine procedures would minimise the
risk of further introductions
There are many emerging threats also occurring with plant
diseases, and research effort into these diseases is skewed
towards countries with a wealthier research infrastructure.
Threats and extinction
Best estimates lead us to believe that 21% of the world’s plants
are currently threatened with extinction and ongoing monitoring
will allow us to determine whether the trend is of plants slipping
closer towards extinction or becoming less threatened.
Plants and policies
Although trade in plants supports livelihoods worldwide, illegal
or unsustainable trade is causing additional pressure on wild
biodiversity and strict enforcement of international legislation
is crucial. Adoption and implementation of policies such as
CITES (Convention on I