New Threatened Plants List Published
The latest threatened plant list published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany has revealed a 60% increase in the number of Critically Endangered plants in NZ reflecting a worsening situation for our native flora. Over one-third (38%) of the native flora is now included as threatened or uncommon. The largest proportion of threatened plants are found in lowland places (30%), followed by montane (24%) and coastal habitats (23%).Two species of forget-me-not (Myosotis species) have been declared extinct and the paper predicts that unless action is taken soon New Zealand risks losing more plants from the wild including the iconic kakabeak (Clianthus maximus).
Ref: de Lange et al. 2009. Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61-96.
Posted: 13/03/2009