Where we need to be

We need to do a better idea of what sort of plants we have, which are in danger of becoming extinct, and we need to be able to do more to prevent their extinction. Basically, we need to have addressed all of the problems in the Where We Are section, including unsustainable plant usage, land use changes, invasive species, climate change, and not knowing what plants we have.

We need to be sustainably using our plant resources. This means putting an end to deforestation and other major, large scale land use changes. It also means making sure that we are using plant products only at a pace that plants can produce them. This will likely require having a lot more protected spaces that are managed to ensure sustainable practices.

We must also be at a point where everyone is familiar with the idea of invasive species and works to limit their spread. This means taking advantage of plants that are local and appropriate for an area so that they won't out compete native species.

We also need to do everything we can to limit the amount of Climate Change we will see. This will ensure that plants are given enough time to adapt to changes in their environments and to evolve to deal with slightly different weather and new pests.

Finally, we need to have a better idea of the diversity of plants that exist in the world as well as collections of seeds from some of the most important, endangered species. Wild natives of agricultural plants are being stored in seed banks in case they are lost in the wild, similar to how zoos, aquariums, and other conservation groups hold captive samples of some of the most endangered animals for eventual rerelease. It would be nice to have similar systems for storing the genetic diversity of plants found all over the world.