Environmental Issues and Conservation
The destruction and loss of plant diversity have become major issues over the last decade.  The future of our world and the habitats and organisms we share it with is largely unknown. The rising human population, which is expected to reach 12.5 billion people by 2050, and the increased consumption of nonrenewable resources continue to intensify environmental stress.  Add the fact that we are currently in the middle of the 6th great extinction event with an accelerated rate of species loss.  Maybe the most troubling thing of all is that the average person has no idea why he or she should care about saving biodiversity.
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Keeping Plant Diversity

Plant diversity can be maintained only by protecting the native habitats and ecosystems where plants live. Countries have safeguarded ecosystems by establishing national parks, forest reserves, and other formally protected areas. During this century, governments have steadily increased protected areas, and they now encompass nearly 12 million square kilometers, or about 8 percent of the Earth's land surface. Many protected areas guard irreplaceable botanical resources, and a few reserves have been established to protect useful plants.
 
 

Protecting rainforests from destruction by slash and burn techniques can prevent the emission of   dangerous green house gases responsible for global warming.  In fact every year deforestation contributes to 30% of all the carbon dioxide emitted in to the air.

It is estimated that 1.5-2.5 acres of rainforest are destroyed a second.  At this pace the rainforests could be gone in 40 years. 
 
 

  

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Researchers believe that more than 10% of the plant species in the world are in constant danger of extinction.
 
 
              Satellite Photo of Rainforest Fires                
  
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 		                    The Aftermath from the Fires   
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Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species dissapear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.
 

What changes can you make to preserve plant diversity?
 

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