Because We do Not have an Alternate Planet

What distinguishes endangered and vulnerable plant species from widely available ones? Why are some species on the edge of extinction while others thrive and spread all over the world? Those are the questions that nature would rather ask us — humanity.

Main factors contributing to loss of plant diversity

Whatever the cause of rarity, when species are rare they are far more vulnerable to everyday events than common species. The vast majority of species start off their existence as rare and are most likely local in one site. They compete with other plant species and can be threatened by insects, vertebrates and microorganisms. They also may have favourable associations with animals for pollination and seed dispersal, or fungi for nutrient uptake. They can also be adapted to unique combinations of soils and climates, nearly impossible to find elsewhere.

All of those factors can be limiting for the species to be habitat specific, and natural habitat loss is the primary cause of extinction at local, regional and global scales. Plants’ natural habitats are destroyed due to extensive urban development, road and dam building, agriculture, tree logging and many other human related actions and are estimated to be the cause of risk for around 80% of endangered plant species. Furthermore habitat loss is harmful not only to a single species, but to whole communities and ecosystems.

Also introductions of invasive alien species can lead to species extinction, and it’s not science fiction but an actual fact — an “alien” refers to any species that is moved by humans to an area outside of its native range and is able to survive and even thrive in its new location. At that point they are becoming invasive and pose a great threat to native species.

Pollution is also a great threat to plants because of the release of chemical, physical, biological or radioactive contaminants into the environment. Particularly serious troubles arise from misusing pesticides or insecticides, which can adversely affect wild plants in the area and the populations of pollinators that are absolutely necessary for many plants to reproduce.

The other factor that has contributed to the progressive decline of plant diversity is climate change. Although no global plant extinctions have yet been attributed to anthropogenic climate change, there is evidence that local extinctions have occurred at the climatic margins of species’ ranges. After about 1 °C of global warming, many plants are leafing and flowering earlier in spring and delaying leaf fall in autumn.

Why are some species are more vulnerable than others?

Well, humans just like plants are willing to spend their lifetime in places they feel most comfortable belonging to, but unlike humans who can move to entirely different places and conditions and feel good, most of plants cannot, and that’s because plants have completely different and much slower adaptation mechanisms than humans. They can’t put on a coat to get warm, go to the market to grab some food when hungry, see a doctor when feeling sick, carry out artificial insemination or escape a bear’s claws. Instead of that they start to stress out and rely solely on their genetics to be adaptive enough to trigger responses that will help them survive. And this is the point where the sad story begins. Without appropriate adaptation mechanisms plant species are in danger of extinction and within the foreseeable future can go extinct.

The fight for diversity

Threatened and endangered species are likely to become extinct in the future if special protection and management efforts are absent. Luckily there are people who are dedicated to saving our planet species by creating and funding networks of protected sites like Natura 2000, which aims to halt the loss of biodiversity in the EU by restoring habitats and natural systems (special areas of conservation (SACs) and the special protection areas (SPAs)). At the EU level, nature and biodiversity are protected by several laws. Also the EU has adopted The Habitats Directive to help maintain animal and plant biodiversity. Another ambitious strategy is setting out 6 targets and 20 actions to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020.

You can easily help to save our planet’s biodiversity!

We have to admit that most of endangered species are now included in the red list because of previous lack of concern. Besides the above mentioned actions and efforts of the European Commission and other worldwide nature conservation programs, there are many relatively small everyday actions you can take to help preserving our planet’s biodiversity and sustainability! Lower the amount of waste you produce by recycling and buying food in biodegradable packaging. Try to walk more, use public transportation or go by bike to help reduce air pollution. Buy and consume more eco-friendly products like those from organic farming and what’s more — search for cosmetic, household cleaning product and medicine ingredients that are produced only in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner! Be aware of your actions and stay friends with other planet inhabitants!