By Adam Allington, KWMU
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwmu/local-kwmu-805941.mp3
St. Louis, MO – The Missouri Botanical Garden recently published the first comprehensive database of all vascular plants in the southern cone region of South America.
This catalog is essentially a dictionary of the names of almost 18,000 species, roughly the same number that exist in the United States, a much larger region.
MOBOT President, Dr. Peter Raven told KWMU's Adam Allington the publication is a biological landmark, and will have immediate implications for both conservation and industry.
Described by Time magazine as a "Hero for the Planet," Raven was a member of President Bill Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He also served for 12 years as home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences.