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Red alert: Over 16,000 tree species threatened with extinction!
Over a third of the world's tree species are at risk of extinction, warns an IUCN report presented at COP16 in Colombia.
Red alert: Over 16,000 tree species threatened with extinction!
Over 16,000 tree species are threatened with extinction worldwide!
An alarming report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is sounding the alarm bells: more than a third of all tree species worldwide are facing extinction! A comprehensive analysis of 47,000 species from 192 countries found that over 16,000 tree species are in acute danger. This is a frightening reality that seriously threatens life on our planet!
The reasons for this worrying development are manifold: deforestation for timber harvesting, agricultural expansion and the devastating effects of climate change, which are exacerbating droughts and forest fires. Tree species such as the horse chestnut and the ginkgo, which are not only used for medicinal purposes, but also the large leaf mahogany, which is in demand in the furniture industry, are particularly affected. According to Emily Beech of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, over 5,000 of the threatened species are essential to the construction of wood products, while more than 2,000 species are used for food, medicine and fuel.
Global threat and urgent need for action
The IUCN warns that the number of threatened tree species is more than twice as high as the sum of all endangered birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined! The situation is particularly critical on islands, where rapid urban growth and invasive species pose a serious threat to native tree species. In South America, the hotspot of tree biodiversity, 3,356 of 13,668 assessed species are threatened with extinction. Many of these species, native to the Amazon, may not have even been discovered yet and face an uncertain future.
The IUCN calls for urgent action to protect and restore forests through afforestation and the conservation of endangered species through seed banks and botanical collections. “Trees are crucial to life on earth and millions of people depend on them,” emphasizes IUCN Director Grethel Aguilar. These alarming findings coincide with the UN COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, where the urgency of action is clearly on the agenda.