About one third of all tree species worldwide are threatened with extinction, especially in African countries. Global warming, logging, and land clearing for agricultural expansion are by far the biggest threats to the approximately 60,000 tree species.
In European countries, dozens of tree species are also at risk of disappearing forever, according to a new international report. No less than 58 percent of wild tree species there are threatened with extinction. In the Netherlands, the situation is not critical: of the 44 species studied, none are threatened.
Globally, this means there are twice as many threatened tree species as all threatened animal species combined.
The report was prepared by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and compiles the results of 5 years of research. It involved more than 60 institutions, including botanical gardens, forestry agencies, and universities, and over 500 experts.
Brazil, home to large parts of the Amazon rainforest which is increasingly threatened by massive agricultural expansion and logging, has the most tree species (8,847) as well as the largest number of threatened trees (1,788).
However, the highest percentage of threatened species was found in tropical Africa, especially on islands like Madagascar and Mauritius, where 59 percent and 57 percent of tree species are threatened respectively.
Earlier this year, the European Union presented a plan to establish new forests and to plant millions of trees. This forest plan is an important part of the Green Deal by EU Commissioners Frans Timmermans (Climate), Janusz Wojciechowski (Agriculture), and Stella Kyriakides (Food Safety).
This tree planting effort is mainly aimed at preserving biodiversity and ‘cleansing’ air pollution.
EU Commissioner Wojciechowski said yesterday afternoon during the discussion of the forest planting plan in the AGRI Agriculture Committee that 'forests are the lungs of our earth: they are vital for our climate, our biodiversity, the soil, and air quality.'