The most in-depth survey of the British and Irish flora ever undertaken has found that over half of Ireland's native plant species are in decline with native grassland plants suffering the most.
The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, which conducted the study, said declines are being driven by habitat loss, mineral enrichment and altered grazing pressure rather than climate change.
It said human activity is the cause of the decline and that human activity must be recruited to restore it.
This is only the third time since 1962 that the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland has completed a Plant Atlas mapping the distribution of wild plants in Ireland.
It is the culmination of 20 years of field work during which 2,500 people in Ireland made almost 3 million plant records that contributed to the atlas showing what plants grow where and how their distributions have changed.
In all 1,939 plant species were recorded, just under half of which were native to Ireland. The study found that 56% of Ireland's native plants have declined, either in range or abundance, or both.
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