One in five of the world’s plants is currently at risk of disappearing forever. That is what a report by the Royal Botanic Gardens in London says. The report is one of the first to try to describe all the plants known to science. It says scientists have so far identified 391,000 plants. And, it says, more than 80,000 of those are in danger of becoming extinct. The plants are endangered by growing populations and clearing land for agriculture and urban development. Steve Bachman is a researcher with the Royal Botanical Gardens. “There's a lot of mouths to feed in the world now and that's growing, and we need the land. So basically the land’s natural habitat is being converted so that we can have soya plantations, crops, livestock, and as a result, that's really causing species to lose their habitat.” Plants are also threatened by logging and climate change. Scientists say governments should do more to create protected areas.

What does extinct mean?
support from below
many different types
relating to cities
no longer existing
What has caused the plants to become endangered?
disease
heat
growing populations
rain
One in five of the world's plants is at risk of disappearing forever.
plants
animals
jobs
resources