A bold global effort aims to bring back extinct plant species to life, led by an international team with participation from the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. Researchers identified 160 candidate species for rescue, centering on seed collections preserved in herbariums worldwide. In addition, 15 species once presumed extinct were found to have existed only in records, not in nature.
The current epoch, the Anthropocene, is marked by unprecedented human pressure on biodiversity. Roughly 40% of plant species face extinction, threatening unique traits and resources built up over millions of years. This signals an urgent need for protective action grounded in solid scientific study to slow or halt this trend.
An international group of scientists has conducted a detailed assessment of the potential to resurrect more than 160 species currently labeled extinct, according to the agency SINC. While some losses are permanent, others may still be recoverable. This work lies at the intersection of extinction science and the broader mission of institutions dedicated to developing knowledge and methods for reviving species that vanished from the wild.
Involved researchers include 32 institutions, among them the Royal Botanic Garden and colleagues from esteemed universities. Professor Thomas Abeli of the University of Rome and Dr. Giulia Albani Rocchetti coordinated the project, working with Angelino Carta and Andrea Mondoni from the universities of Pisa and Pavia, respectively.
Revive species through their seeds
Many plants reproduce via seeds that can remain viable for decades or even centuries. This opens the door to reviving extinct plants whose seeds are preserved in natural history collections, notably in herbariums, that store viable material for future study.
If viable seeds are found, can a species still be considered extinct? Medina notes that the team has pinpointed 160 extinct species with seeds stored in more than 60 herbariums worldwide, marking a meaningful step forward.
To compile this list of candidates for revival, scientists weighed factors such as seed storage resilience, the age of preserved specimens, and the evolutionary diversity across species.
Among the candidate species are several legumes, including Astragalus endopterus, an endemic plant of the Azores. Its seeds are notable for their longevity.
Legacy databases
The study, published in Nature Plants, also surveys the risks and benefits of the rapid growth of biodiversity databases and data aggregators. While these tools accelerate access to data, Medina cautions that they can spread misinformation if conservation statuses are not kept up to date, potentially misleading action plans for endangered plants.
Inconsistencies in recorded conservation status across major databases were uncovered, revealing instances where 15 plants once thought extinct are actually maintained in botanical gardens or in the wild.
Medina concludes that the results carry important implications for conservation and offer tools to guide strategic actions. The possible resurrection of extinct plant species and more informed conservation planning could support reintroduction efforts for highly endangered species that have been incorrectly declared extinct.
Reference work: Nature Plants, 2022, s41477-022-01296-7.
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