NEW DELHI: Advances in artificial intelligence, digitisation, and global data-sharing are reshaping efforts to conserve the world’s plants and fungi, according to a new report published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), the UK.
The sixth edition of the State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report, compiled by more than 400 scientists from 40 countries, says emerging technologies are helping researchers uncover hidden biodiversity, identify conservation priorities, and bridge critical gaps in scientific knowledge at a time of mounting environmental pressures.
The report coincides with the completion of a landmark digitisation project at Kew, where all 7.4 million herbarium and fungarium specimens in its collections have been digitally archived, the Royal Botanic Gardens said in a press release.
Funded principally by the UK government through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the initiative has created one of the world’s largest freely accessible online resources for plant and fungal research.
Scientists say the digital transformation is opening new opportunities to study biodiversity, track environmental change, and improve conservation planning. Plants and fungi play a vital role in regulating climate, storing carbon, and providing food, medicines, and other resources essential for human well-being.
However, the report warns that inadequate information on species diversity, distribution, and climate impacts could leave vulnerable species unprotected and limit the discovery of new medicines and climate-resilient crops.
“Scientists, practitioners and anyone with a keen interest in biodiversity are now being equipped with unprecedented data and tools to learn and contribute in ways that are faster, better and more impactful than ever before,” said Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Executive Director of Science at RBG Kew.
According to the report, millions of preserved plant and fungal specimens collected over centuries are now being digitised and analysed at an unprecedented scale. Researchers can remotely examine collections, correct species identifications, and uncover biodiversity that may previously have gone unnoticed.
The report highlights several examples of how technology is supporting scientific discoveries. In Costa Rica, researchers increased the country’s recorded fungal diversity by nearly 20% by combining published records with digitised collections, improving understanding of how climate influences fungal distribution.
Artificial intelligence is also being used to identify difficult plant groups such as sedges and peat mosses, whose distinguishing characteristics are often microscopic. Researchers say the technology can accelerate species identification and help detect plants that may be new to science.
In another example, smartphone images of an unusual plant captured by researchers working in peatlands in the Republic of Congo were shared with scientists at Kew. The images suggested the plant could represent a previously undocumented species within the genus Sabicea, demonstrating how digital collaboration can support biodiversity research in remote regions.
The report also cites work by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank and the Morton Arboretum in the US, which found that digitised seed collection records can be used to estimate the genetic diversity stored in seed banks. Researchers say such information could help guide habitat restoration efforts and the reintroduction of threatened plant species into the wild.
