In March the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland launched the Plant Atlas 2020. This splendid tome of two volumes contains the records of plants throughout Britain and Ireland, recorded over twenty years from 2000 to the end of 2019. Over 26 million records of plants were recorded by over 8,500 volunteer botanists, including members of the Botany Section. They recorded 3,445 different plant species, 1,692 are native to Britain and notably 1,753 non natives. This Startling fact now means there are more introduced species then native plants in Britain.
As a result of this comprehensive survey of our flora it is possible to determine trends in plant distribution. The known ranges of 53% of all native plants are estimated to have declined. This is a worrying fact and applies to the flora of Jersey as well as Britain. The reasons for this decline are complex, however modern farming, climate change and human pressures on the landscape, all contribute to this loss.
Anne Haden
Secretary
