Protecting and sustainably using the world’s plants and fungi

This special issue – Protecting and sustainably using the world’s plants and fungi – features the research that underpins Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi 2020 report. This special issue, and the associated report, are global efforts representing work from 210 authors, in 97 institutions, across 42 countries and six continents. We anticipate that this landmark special issue will inform and inspire researchers, policymakers, practitioners and many others to value and appreciate the world’s plant and fungal diversity and its largely untapped potential to help address the global challenges faced by humanity. As we write this editorial in summer 2020, COVID-19 has impacted people across the planet. Some of us are in lockdown, some are beginning to see restrictions eased, and others have begun to navigate the “new normal”. The fragility of our society is evident. It is clear that humankind faces unparalleled challenges, from the uncertainties of a post-COVID-19 world and the possibility of future pandemics to the threats presented by climate change, habitat destruction, and environmental damage. For us to counter these huge global challenges, collaboration at all levels—transcending disciplines and nations—is essential. In this context, the work of researchers focusing on plants and fungi has never been more important. Scientists around the world must find novel approaches to identify and utilize the untapped useful properties of plants and fungi in ways that are equitable, sustainable, and safe. We must ensure that plant and fungal research informs policy and legislation at national and international levels, and that governments acknowledge that this research requires high levels of investment. It is therefore very timely that we publish this unique special issue, that not only provides a global perspective on the current state of knowledge of the world’s plants and fungi, but which also offers insight into the solutions that plants and fungi can and could provide to the problems facing humanity. The importance of these solutions can be seen in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/), which were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. The 17 SDGs provide a framework for how we might improve the lives of people and the health of our planet. Plant and fungal research is core to achieving many of the goals, including SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and perhaps most significantly SDG15 (Life on Land), which is focused on protecting and restoring terrestrial biodiversity and the benefits it provides (Figure 1). The articles in this special issue describe in detail the research that underpins State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2020, a report published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The themes outlined above are evident in the 12 articles representing work from 210 authors, in 97 institutions, across 42 countries and six continents. Spearheaded by scientists at Kew, and with contributions from across the globe, this group of articles, and the associated report, illustrate how international scientific collaboration can help us understand and use the full extent of plant and fungal diversity and recognize the threats to their survival, so that we can halt the loss of biodiversity and unlock its full potential. The articles in this collection cover five broad categories. The first focuses on novel insights into our knowledge of plants and fungi. The article by Cheek et al. outlines why it is more important than ever to document and describe the planet’s plant and fungal species that are unknown to science, which are estimated to number in the millions. If species are not cataloged in this way, we cannot ensure that they are conserved, and our ability to protect them from extinction is limited. Likewise, without a scientific name and description, it is harder to evaluate them as possible new sources of food, medicine, or providers of other benefits to people. Many species that are new to science are already known and used by people in the region of origin, who have been their primary custodians and often hold unparalleled local knowledge. It is therefore critical that any benefits derived from those species primarily contribute to the well-being of those people. Nic Lughadha et al. consider our current knowledge of existing and predicted threats to plants and fungi, including gaps and biases, and why this knowledge is essential if we are to prioritize our conservation efforts. This work also outlines how advances in methods of evaluating extinction risk can help accelerate the process, what trends can be seen from the data, and what further research will be required to anticipate the long-term effects of the drivers of species loss, to ensure we can successfully protect biodiversity long into the future. The second section explores the useful properties of plants and fungi, and how we might further harness these properties to benefit people and the planet. Kersey et al. consider how humans have used, domesticated, and developed plants and fungi to meet our needs for millennia, and explain how new technologies, mainly informed by genomics, are helping us to make improvements to the useful traits of plants and fungi with more accuracy and speed than ever before. The examples provided by the authors illustrate why natural diversity is crucial for ensuring the long-term capacity to improve and adapt crops, and why it is essential for these crops to be conserved. Ulian et al.’s work highlights how the process of assessing our current knowledge of edible plants and fungi can help us identify previously overlooked or underutilized sources of food. Harnessing this knowledge can help us discover new food resources to support sustainable agriculture and inform communities on the potential of biodiversity for food beyond mainstream crops. The findings of this work are important for a vast range of stakeholders, such as scientists, conservation organizations, development agencies, food producers, policymakers, and the public. Grace et al.’s contribution provides an overview of plants and fungi as untapped sources of potential bioenergy. The authors consider methods that can help identify the most promising plant and fungal species for this purpose, and discuss how, in conjunction with new technologies, this information can support diverse bioenergy landscapes and address energy poverty. Further, by promoting the sustainable use of native species, we can foster resilience in bioenergy systems at the local scale. The crucial role of plants and fungi in global healthcare is considered in the article by Howes et al. As new challenges to human health and to biodiversity arise, it is important for us to consider novel scientific approaches that will aid in the discovery and preservation of nature-based health solutions for the future, while ensuring harmony with strategies for biodiversity conservation. Howes and co-authors highlight the discovery of anticancer drugs from Taxus species, and plant-based therapeutics for the treatment of malaria, among other examples. In the article by Stevenson et al., the important role of urban green spaces is explored. These urban areas are key points of influence for conservation and provide a myriad of benefits to people, through multiple ecosystem services. They also have positive effects on mental health and well-being and serve as cultural touchstones. The authors argue that trees should be central to urban planning, with planners giving consideration to both their aboveground interactions with pollinators, and their belowground interactions with mycorrhizal fungi. The role of collections, collaboration, and global policy in the conservation and exploration of plants and fungi is considered in the following four pieces. Paton et al. assess plant and fungal collections, and specifically focus on the importance of filling gaps in these collections. Collections serve as a record of a species occupying a specific place at a specific time, but gaps can only be filled by long-term future investment and support of collection facilities in biodiverse areas. Technology will be important for filling these gaps and in ensuring equitable access, as greater digitization and coordination will be key to facilitating the exploration of collections by diverse user groups. Free digital access to plant and fungal resources will help decolonize collections and accelerate the sharing of benefits to low-income countries facing acute socio-environmental challenges. Effective international collaboration is considered in the article by Pearce et al. Collaboration is critical for fostering long-term relationships and in developing trust and mutual respect between partners. This in turn can boost the sharing of data, materials, technologies, tools, and knowledge, which can help halt biodiversity loss and aid rapid developments in harnessing the useful properties of plants and fungi for sustainable development. As defined in the Nagoya Protocol, access to, and the use of, global collections must be reciprocal, with responsibility and complete transparency on the part of the user. The influence of global biodiversity policy is considered in the articles by Williams et al. and Simmonds et al. Williams and colleagues examine conservation policy and explore how fair and transparent access and benefit sharing policies enable research to take place, while at the same time ensuring that communities’ livelihoods are protected and sustained, and that benefits are shared. There has been an uneven implementation of current national legislation, and the authors suggest that frameworks should be developed to ensure the standardization of provision and use of genetic resources for noncommercial research. Simmonds et al. explore intellectual property, and specifically how patents can be used both as a measure of innovation and to illustrate the commercial potential of plant and fungal biodiversity. By ensuring that suitable commercialization frameworks are in place, commercial activities could not only incentivize conservation, but also increase the prosperity of low- or middle-income biodiversity-rich countries. Finally, Clubbe et al. consider the diversity of plants and fungi in the UK and UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). Like all areas of the world, these regions require well-documented collections to understand species richness and distribution to help inform conservation strategies. The UKOTs significantly increase biodiversity levels associated with the UK, so easy access to the data relevant to these regions and digitizing appropriate collections are crucial. Plants, People, Planet shares and embraces Royal Botanic Garden, Kew’s transformative agenda to curate and explore the world’s plant and fungal diversity for the benefit of humanity and the sustainable future of our planet. This special edition of articles summarizing the state of the world's plants and fungi represents a landmark collection that we hope will inform and inspire researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and many others to value and appreciate the world’s plant and fungal diversity and its largely untapped potential to help address the global challenges faced by humanity. We are grateful to the Sfumato Foundation and the New Phytologist Foundation for generously supporting this collection, and to the many authors, editors, and reviewers who helped shape the articles herein. You can read Kew's accompanying State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2020 report at kew.org/SOTWPF (or https://doi.org/10.34885/172).