State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report was compiled by 210 researchers from 42 countries to provide an in-depth look at how we can protect and sustainably use the world’s plants and fungi for the benefit of people and the planet. The number of assessed plant species has doubled recently due to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation but many targets, including assessing the conservation status of all plant species, have not been met this year (read more in the Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, page 124).

Whilst previous research estimated that one in five plant species are at risk of extinction, the recent findings by Dr Eimear Nic Lughadha and 29 colleagues have found that two in five known plant species is likely to be threatened by extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is the most comprehensive database of the conservation status of over 120,000 species. The researchers reviewed the IUCN Red List and ThreatSearch to identify biases and gaps in extinction risk assessments of plants and fungi. The researchers predicted the proportions of threatened plant species geographically, quantified the Red List Index of 400 species in Madagascar and Brazil and discussed processes and drivers of species extinctions. Currently, 43.7% of vascular plants are considered threatened and the odds of a plant species being threatened by extinction doubled in Africa. Plants targeted by specific conservation projects are well described whilst overall, plants from Southern America, Northern America and tropical Asia are greatly underrepresented in assessments.