Dhaka's botanical gardens once offered a respite from urban sprawl but now face neglect amidst rapid urbanisation. The Baldah Garden, home to rare plant species, struggles with environmental challenges, while the National Botanical Garden suffers from littering and security issues. Despite these issues, both gardens hold immense educational and ecological value. By enhancing
Australia is estimated to have 750,000 different species of plants, animals and insects, but about 70% are either undiscovered or have not been formally described in the scientific literature.
The academyâs proposal would see all of Australiaâs species properly documented and recorded over the next 25 years.
The Deloitte Access Economics report says such a mission could deliver between $3.7bn and $28.9bn in economic returns over the next 25 years.
Economic benefits include the discovery of new drugs, improvements to biosecurity with invasive species easier to identify, and new crops developed from hybridisation of newly discovered species.
Associate Prof Kevin Thiele, director of the academyâs Taxonomy Australia organisation, said: âEvery species that is lost â especially those lost before we even find them â is a lost opportunity.