4,000 plant types face grave danger, experts say More than 4,000 types of plants in China face the gravest danger, and 1,000 could become endangered species, a forestry official said on Thursday. Zhao Shucong , director of the State Forestry Administration, made the remarks at the launch ceremony of the Chinese Union of Botanical Gardens, highlighting the importance of using botanical gardens to protect plant diversity. "Some species might not seem to be so useful for us today, but they can prove very useful in the future with advances in science and technology," he said. For example, Yuan Longping, known as the father of hybrid?rice, used a wild rice variety found in Hainan to cultivate high-yielding hybrids. "Without the wild?rice, today we would not have the high-yielding rice," said Xu Zhihong, a prestigious biologist and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "But now the situation is that people pay huge attention to protect wild animals like pandas, while few attach importance to the preservation of wild plants," he said. usa.chinadaily.cn/china/2013-06/06/content_16580306.htm
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:28:14 +0000
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