The Floristic Mapping of Baden-Württemberg, coordinated by the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History, has gathered over 2.5 million plant observations from citizen scientists across five decades. The records show that biodiversity hotspots in southwestern Germany are losing species richness as climate change and land-use shifts reshape habitats.
Most biodiversity data covers short periods, so long-term trends are hard to prove. This five-decade dataset makes plant declines visible and measurable, showing exactly where species are disappearing. That evidence can guide which habitats and regions get protection, and it shows how ordinary volunteers can produce science-grade data.
✦ Five decades of volunteer plant records prove what we feared: hotspots are quieting.