The sixth State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report, published 16 June 2026 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, brings together expertise from over 400 scientists across 40 countries to explore how new technology is transforming the race to save nature. The report argues technology can be nature’s ally, with digital tools exposing critical gaps in scientific knowledge and highlighting where action is most urgently needed to safeguard plants and fungi.

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Tech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open ‘genomic goldmine’ of fungi data