Over one-third of the world’s tree species are at severe risk of extinction, posing a critical threat to ecosystems and human livelihoods on global level, a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List revealed on Monday.
The analysis, which assessed more than 47,000 of the estimated 58,000 known tree species, said that over 16,000 are endangered, with deforestation for logging, agriculture, urban expansion, and climate change among the major drivers.
Meanwhile, IUCN Director-General Grethel Aguilar, while talking to the media regarding the report, said: “Trees are vital for life on Earth, providing essential ecological services, and millions of people depend on them for their lives and livelihoods”.
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Some of the endangered species are also high-value species; the horse chestnut and ginkgo species are known to have medicinal applications while big leaf mahogany, ash, magnolia, and eucalyptus species are known for timber production.
According to Emily Beech, a head of conservation prioritisation at the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) that produced the report, more than 5,000 tree species at risk of extinction have been used in construction activities, with over 2,000 species being of great significance in medicine, food, and fuel.
The IUCN’s findings underscore the magnitude of the crisis: the number of tree species threatened exceeds that of all endangered birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians combined. In 192 countries, tree species face extinction, with island ecosystems particularly vulnerable due to rapid urbanisation, agriculture, and invasive species.
South America, home to the planet’s richest tree diversity, has 3,356 of its 13,668 assessed species at risk, according to the IUCN. Many species within the Amazon Basin remain undiscovered, yet are “more likely than not to be threatened with extinction,” the report warned.
The report calls for urgent action to protect forests through restoration, seed banks, and botanic garden collections. As the United Nations COP16 biodiversity summit kicks off in Cali, Colombia, the IUCN stresses that halting biodiversity loss will require increased global spending on nature conservation, with the UN Environment Programme estimating an annual investment of $542 billion needed by 2030, up from $200 billion in 2022.
