[4] This is a project of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, with the aim of halting the loss of plant species worldwide by 2020.

[5] There is a complementary project called the International Plant Names Index, in which Kew is also involved.

When The Plant List was launched in 2010 (the International Year of Biodiversity), it attracted media attention for its comprehensive approach.

Fox News highlighted the number of synonyms encountered, suggesting that this reflected a "surprising lack" of biodiversity on earth.

[8] However, the IK (which by 1913 avoided making taxonomic judgement in its citations) is currently included in the IPNI rather than the Plant List.