Reacción a "Knowledge of biodiversity is advancing faster than species loss"

Despite the global biodiversity crisis driven by human activity, this research offers an optimistic perspective on our understanding of the natural world. The study highlights that, in addition to losses, the tree of life continues to grow at an astonishing rate, thanks to the discovery of new species and the description of new higher taxonomic ranks, such as families, orders, or classes. In just five years, science has made significant progress, establishing 700 new genera each year and more than 20 families. This finding drives a paradigm shift, which proposes prioritising the identification and conservation of levels above the species. The aim is to preserve phylogenetic diversity and better understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth.

As the article points out, there is still a vast amount of biodiversity to be identified, especially in less studied groups, such as microorganisms or species living in less accessible environments, such as oceans or caves. This hidden biodiversity, which is not visible to the naked eye, requires urgent identification before it disappears due to human impacts. To date, the most widely accepted estimate puts the number of species on the planet at 8.7 million. However, the work of John J. Wiens and his collaborators suggests that this figure could be significantly higher. To confirm this hypothesis, the authors emphasise the need for greater effort in the description of taxa with phylogenetic support, requiring taxonomic rigour and consensus that will allow us to understand the true magnitude of life on our planet.