Captured thanks to extraordinary timelapse photography and immense patience, the wonders of the tropical rainforests of Borneo and Costa Rica have left television viewers enthralled. 

In one viral clip from Green Planet, even veteran presenter David Attenborough could not hide his own joyous wonder as, right on cue as he described the short-lived Seven Hour flower, an Underwood’s bat arrived to feed on its nectar. 

Fascinating scenes from the new BBC One series - from balsa tree blossoms refuelling with nectar several times in a single night to attract pollinators, to the sticking corpse flower which mimics decaying flesh to lure carrion flies – showcased the tropical rainforests in a way rarely seen before: as plant battlegrounds of beauty and intense competition, where plants fight each other for survival and send signals to creatures to feed, pollinate and help life go on.

Now, much closer to home and far from the lush tropical rainforests explored by the new series, experts at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) Tropical Diversity Group have now echoed the 95-year-old presenter’s warning that time is running out if its treasures are to be saved for future generations. 

The RBGE Tropical Diversity Group plays a key role in describing the tropical rain forest ‘mega-diversity’, researching its evolution and drivers, and determining how best to conserve it.

As well as uncovering new species of plants, the group, headed by Dr Mark Newman, a leading expert in Zingiberaceae, the ginger family, works to understand the dynamics of local communities, before precious ecosystems can be destroyed through human activity. 

He said there is a pressing need to act quickly.

He said: “Even a cursory glance through the scientific literature will show that new species are being discovered at a very high rate, but we are far from knowing all the species in the world. 

“We must act quickly to discover and describe all the world’s species before the accelerating rate of extinction prevents us from doing anything to conserve them.”

The group’s research embraces the full diversity of tropical ecosystems, from giant trees to herbaceous plants growing both on the forest floor and epiphytically in the canopy, and from dry valleys to savannas and grasslands, all key components of tropical flora.

In 2020/21 alone, Dr Newman and Thai colleague Sunisa Sangvirotjanapat published 19 species new to science from just one ginger genus, Globba.

In Cambodia, one of these species, Globba securifer, is the 13th Globba species to be described in the last five years.

Far from being just an exotic spice, gingers make up a significant family of perennial herbs. 
Comprising 55 genera and around 1,300 species, they are both widespread and economically important. 

The findings, particularly given they have emerged during a pandemic when tropical fieldwork has all but ceased, are seen as an example of the scale of plant diversity that remains to be described. 

Naming and describing plants is regarded as a crucial first step in their conservation.

“Biodiversity, or the number and variety of species on our green planet, is important to us because it forms the environment in which we live, supplying food, water, clean air, medicines and less tangible benefits to our well-being, such as the sight of flowering fields or the sound of birdsong,” added Dr Newman. 

 “We have known for many decades that changes in land use have a detrimental effect on biodiversity. 

“Human activities such as deforestation are having a huge impact and climate change caused by our way of life is speeding up the loss of species and habitats. 

“This is particularly acute in the tropics where we know much less about the species and their interactions with each other.”

RBGE Regius Keeper Simon Milne, said the world truly is in a race against time: “Working in around 50 countries, from tropical SE Asia to Central and South America and at home in Scotland we are constantly reminded of the race against time to secure a future for the planet as we know it. 

“Our world is facing the unprecedented twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

“Plants are our life support system, yet an astonishing 40 per cent are estimated to be threatened with extinction.”

He added: “In the wake of COP26 in Glasgow and as delegates prepare to meet this spring at the equally important biodiversity COP in Kunming, China, individuals and society together must appreciate how crucial the natural world is to human health and well-being. 

“It is not over-dramatic to say we are running out of time.”