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Most species of 'world's largest flower' risk extinction: study

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/03/26/20190324-uplb-makiling-rafflesia-gc-0801.jpg"/><figcaption>The Rafflesia panchoana, locally called &quot;Malaboo,&quot; blooms, making it a tourist attraction in the jungles of Mount Makiling in Laguna on March 25, 2019. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>BANGKOK, Thailand — Most species of the famously large Rafflesia flower, which has long captured the imagination with its enormous speckled red petals, are now at risk of extinction, new research has warned.</p><p>Rge Rafflesia is actually a parasite, and lives on tropical vines across parts of Southeast Asia, producing blooms that are among the largest in the world.</p><p>It is something of an enigma, with its flowers emerging unpredictably, and botanists have had limited success propagating it outside its natural environment.</p><p>One species of the flower is currently classed as &quot;critically endangered,&quot; according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PtqmC5uhDCU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>To better understand the plant and its conservation status, an international group of botanists examined 42 known Rafflesia species and their habitats -- primarily Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.</p><p>Based on the rapid disappearance of its forest habitats, as well as insufficient conservation strategies and protection plans, the plant is at far greater risk than previously known, they said.</p><p>&quot;We estimate that 60 percent of Rafflesia species face a severe risk of extinction,&quot; the researchers wrote in the study, published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Plants, People, Planet journal.</p><p>Some species risk going extinct before they are even known to science, the study said, urging more research into the unusual plant.</p><p>&quot;We urgently need a joined-up, cross-regional approach to save some of the world&#x27;s most remarkable flowers, most of which are now on the brink of being lost,&quot; said Chris Thorogood, deputy director of Oxford University&#x27;s Botanical Garden and a study author.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/09/01/22/tingnan-rafflesia-namukadkad-sa-davao-de-oro">Rafflesia na pinakamalaking bulaklak sa buong mundo, namukadkad sa Davao de Oro</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/26/19/watch-rafflesia-flowers-bloom-on-mt-makiling">WATCH: Rafflesia flowers bloom on Mt. Makiling</a></li></ul><p>The research points out that the plant is believed to grow in fairly limited areas, making it particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction.</p><p>It also highlights several bright spots in conservation efforts, including successful propagation at a botanical garden in Indonesia&#x27;s West Java, and sustainable ecotourism around the plant in West Sumatra.</p><p>Last year, nations pledged to protect 30 percent of the world&#x27;s land and seas by 2030 in a landmark deal to slow the disappearance of species and ecosystems.</p><p>Repeated studies have warned that the twin threats of climate change and environmental destruction caused by humans are dramatically reducing biodiversity worldwide.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/01/03/20/worlds-largest-flower-spotted-in-indonesia">&#x27;World&#x27;s largest&#x27; flower spotted in Indonesia</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/18/17/look-worlds-largest-bloom-found-in-negros">LOOK: World’s largest bloom found in Negros</a></li></ul>

Most species of the famously large Rafflesia flower are now at risk of extinction, new research warned.