AI could help win ‘race against extinction’ of vital plants, say botanists
A botanist at Kew’s Madagascar research site scans a plant for digitisation. Photograph: Jeff Eden/RBG KewView image in fullscreenA botanist at Kew’s Madagascar research site scans a plant for digitisation. Digitisation and online access to millions of specimens that were until now only accessible in archives is also producing new insights, especially in the global south.Plants and fungi underpin all life on Earth, supplying food and medicines, storing carbon and regulating the climate.
- ▪A botanist at Kew’s Madagascar research site scans a plant for digitisation.
- ▪Photograph: Jeff Eden/RBG KewView image in fullscreenA botanist at Kew’s Madagascar research site scans a plant for digitisation.
- ▪Digitisation and online access to millions of specimens that were until now only accessible in archives is also producing new insights, especially in the global south.Plants and fungi underpin all life on Earth, supplying food and medicines
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| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/16/ai-could-help-win-race-against-extinction-of-vital-plants-say-botanists |
| Publication time | Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:00:48 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-16T07:02:22.548Z |
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A botanist at Kew’s Madagascar research site scans a plant for digitisation. Photograph: Jeff Eden/RBG KewView image in fullscreenA botanist at Kew’s Madagascar research site scans a plant for digitisation. Photograph: Jeff Eden/RBG KewPlantsAI could help win ‘race against extinction’ of vital plants, say botanistsTech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open ‘genomic goldmine’ of fungi dataDamian Carrington Environment editorTue 16 Jun 2026 02.00 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe rise of AI and digitisation could be a turning point in the “race against extinction” faced by botanists trying to identify and save vital plants before they vanish, according to a major report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.New technology is enabling scientists to track how flowering…
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