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A third of tropical African plants face extinction
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According to a new assessment, a third of tropical African plants are on their way to extinction. Much of Western Africa are the hardest hit regions, at risk of losing up to 40% of their richness in plants. Species at risk include trees, shrubs, herbs and woody vines. Scientists say that deforestation, population growth, and climate change are all threats to the species. 

Africa is a region of great biodiversity, and with a drastic decrease, this could affect other species such as animals which depend on these tropical plants. With this new method of assessment, scientists found that 33% of the species are potentially threatened with extinction, and another third of species are likely rare, potentially becoming threatened in the near future. The scientists also stated that this is mainly due to human activities such as deforestation, land-use changes, population growth, economic development, and climate change. 

This would be a very drastic change to areas of Western Africa if 33% of tropical plant species were wiped out. This would decrease the biodiversity incredibly, and be very harmful to the ecosystems. As stated, scientists believe that this is caused by human activities, which is terrible, yet not surprising. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50477684


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A third of tropical African plants face extinction - by Alessandra Figliuzzi - 11-21-2019, 12:48 PM

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