State of the World Trees Report

Table of Contents

Relevance

GS 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Recently, Botanic Gardens Conservation International released a report on State of the World Trees and warned about the extinction of trees in the world.

Almost a third of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction, while hundreds are on the brink of being wiped out.
17,500 tree species – some 30% of the total – are a risk of extinction, while 440 species have fewer than 50 individuals left in the wild.
Overall, the number of threatened tree species is double the number of threatened mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined.
Among the most at-risk trees are species including magnolias and dipterocarps – which are commonly found in Southeast Asian rainforests. Oak trees, maple trees and ebonies also face threats.
Thousands of varieties of trees in the world’s top six countries—Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Colombia and Venezuela—for tree-species diversity are at risk of extinction.
The greatest single number is in Brazil, where 1,788 species are at risk.

Agriculture crops, logging, livestock farming, residential and commercial development, fire and fire suppression, energy production and mining, wood and pulp plantations, invasive and other problematic species, and climate change.
At least 180 tree species are directly threatened by rising seas and severe weather.

Extend protected area coverage for threatened tree species.
Ensure that threatened tree species are conserved in botanic garden and seed banks.
Increase government and corporate funding for protection of threatened species.
Increase inter-regional collaboration for a comprehensive solution.