Three-quarters of Australia’s threatened species are plants and new research by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub has identified the top 100 species at risk. The research is a review of all available published information and interviews with 130 botanists from across Australia. Urbanisation was the leading threat, resulting in 22 species on the list, while 19 species were on the list due to inappropriate fire regimes. Many plants only remain in small isolated patches, which often miss out on a lot of important natural processes such as regular fires, meaning fire-dependent species are not regenerating. Introduced plant diseases like phytophthora and myrtle rust are pushing 18 of the plants on the list towards extinction. Ground orchids are the most at-risk group with 15 species making it onto the list. According to the researchers, we have the capacity to save every one of the species on the list — we just need the commitment.
Source: Australian Journal of Botany
