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Humans have been using biodiversity for hundreds of thousands of years, but at no time in our history has it been more crucial to accelerate our exploration of the useful properties of the species that inhabit the world around us.
Extinct, or just extinct in the wild? Plants lost from in situ habitat, but represented in seed banks, are labelled extinct despite the potential for restoration. A change in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List definition of extinct in the wild is needed to improve the status and prospects of threatened plant species.
