University Of Calgary Study - Extinction Risks Higher Than Thought For Tropical Plants - AFP

Canadian researchers say they've determined extinction risks for plants growing in the Earth's tropical regions are higher than previously thought.
University of Calgary Assistant Professors Jana and Steven Vamosi studied plant extinction risks in areas close to the equator.

"The tropics contain many ancient species of plants, leading many to consider tropical species as less susceptible to extinction," said Steven Vamosi. "But our study indicates that quite the opposite is, in fact, the case. The extinction risk for plants is high in countries close to the equator and even higher on islands, even after we take into account factors related to human activities and their use of the natural resources."

The study focused on the number of plant species at risk, looking at human factors such as population density and deforestation.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Study_Flora_not_flourishing_in_tropics_999.html