AI, digitization could help fight extinction of plant species — report

AI and the mass digitization of plants and fungi are changing how scientists track biodiversity loss, but major gaps in global data mean the scale of extinction is still likely underestimated, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said in a report on Tuesday (Jun 16).

Kew's State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2026 report, based on work by more than 400 scientists in 40 countries, said digital tools were helping researchers identify species, analyse historical specimens and detect changes linked to climate change.

"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?" Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Executive Director of Science at RBG Kew, told Reuters.

The report said 29,748 plant species and 411 fungal species are currently assessed as threatened with extinction. But only 18% of known plant species and 0.6% 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, it said.

"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," he said.

Kew said 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 said fewer than 1,000 plant species have been formally declared extinct, although the true number is likely higher.

The report also said 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. Such shifts can affect relationships between plants and pollinators, the report said.

"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," he said.

Kew said it had completed the digitisation of 7.4 million herbarium and fungarium specimens, creating an online resource for researchers, policymakers and conservationists.

The report said less than 16% of the world's herbarium specimens have been imaged and made digitally available, with gaps especially acute in parts of the Global South.

-Production: Stuart McDill/Reuters