More than 400 scientists in 40 countries have used digital tools to help identify plants and fungi species, analyse historical specimens and detect changes linked to climate change. And while AI and the mass digitisation are changing how scientists track biodiversity, major gaps in global data mean only a small percentage of plants and fungi have been identified.
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TRANSCRIPT
"So for hundreds of years, we've been using physical specimens to all research and conservation projects around the world. Now we can access those specimens digitally anywhere and make it much faster for people who need that information about identifying species, about identifying where should we protect nature in ways that were not conceivable in the past? So, we are now able to speed it up and also improve the conservation and restoration that is needed to safeguard life on earth."
Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Executive Director of Science at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London talking about the growing role of technology, specifically AI, in identifying plant and fungal species.
The RBG produces an annual report looking at what exactly is out there on Planet Earth and which plants and fungi are at risk of extinction.
But we still know very little about how many plant and fungal species exist.
The RBG reports says only 18 per cent of known plant species and 0.6 per cent of known fungal species have been assessed, while more than 100,000 plant species and more than 2 million fungal species remain unknown to science.
What scientists have become better at doing is preserving the information we already have.
"We have one of the world's largest and most important collections of plants and fungi, and those are pressed specimens extending over 300 years from all over the world. And we were able now to digitise 7.4 million specimens and that contributes to the 145 million specimens of plants and fungi digitised globally. So, it is a global asset for researchers and conservationists to use."
And while unidentified specimens provide a sense of optimism, the 2026 report has also assessed 29,748 plant species and 411 fungal species as threatened with extinction.
"We have to face the current situation and we do know that nature is in a really bad state at the moment. And we've seen drastic declines in biodiversity across the globe and regionally. But I do remain optimistic because I know that with these tools we can speed up our work in ways that are much more efficiently so that we can allocate resources where they're most needed."
The RBG says digitised records and statistical models could help speed up both the naming of new species and assessments of whether poorly recorded species are extinct or simply undetected.
It says fewer than 1,000 plant species have been formally declared extinct, although the true number is likely higher.
The report says AI analysis of eight million digitised herbarium specimens showed global flowering times had shifted by an average of 2.5 days per decade over the past century, with plants flowering earlier or later depending on region.
"I think many people have heard about the impact of climate change on the flowering time of plants. For instance, the cherry blossom in Japan has been tracked for many centuries and has become earlier and earlier every year. What our report shows is research that has analysed flowering times across many thousands species all over the world and found that on average every species has either flowered earlier or later by two and a half days per decade. So over 400 years, which is this is based on about 25 years earlier or later with the biggest difference in the tropics. And two and a half days per decade doesn't perhaps sound like a big deal, but it is."
Such shifts can affect relationships between plants and pollinators.
"If you're a bumblebee and you're looking for a plant to pollinate, you may be in trouble. And also the plant itself, because it needs to be pollinated and produce seeds and viable foods. So we are concerned about the future of those interactions which are so vital to the existence of those species in the future."
RBG Kew has completed the digitisation of 7.4 million herbarium and fungarium specimens, creating an online resource for researchers, policymakers and conservationists.
The report says with less than 16 per cent of the world's herbarium specimens imaged and made digitally available, gaps in knowledge still exist and are especially acute in parts of the Global South.
