Nearly 40% of world's trees face extinction, new assessment finds

(The Hill) -- The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that at least 40 percent of tree species around the world are at risk of extinction, according to a Thursday release from the organization.

The assessment determined that at least 16,425 of the 47,282 evaluated species are at risk of extinction. More than 2,000 of those endangered species are used for medicines, food and fuel.

“Today, we are releasing the global assessment of the world’s trees on the IUCN Red List, which shows that more than one in three tree species are threatened with extinction,” Dr. Grethel Aguilar, director general of the IUCN, said in a statement. “Trees are essential to support life on Earth through their vital role in ecosystems, and millions of people depend upon them for their lives and livelihoods.”

The IUCN discovered tree species are at risk of extinction in 192 countries around the world, and those facing the most threat are on islands. Climate change, urban development and deforestation put trees at risk in the tropics due to their higher risk of storms or other natural disasters.

“Some countries such as Ghana, Colombia, Chile and Kenya already have national strategies in place. Others like Gabon have identified important areas for trees,” said Jean-Christophe Vié, director general of the Franklinia Foundation, which funded most of the global assessment. 

“Trees are seen as an easy fix to climate change and trees are planted everywhere; but the way reforestation is done needs to be greatly improved, diversifying species and including threatened ones in tree-planting schemes. Governments and their forestry departments, companies and all those planting trees could easily do this and get positive impact quickly, tackling both the climate change and biodiversity crises.”

He emphasized the need for governments and companies to support reforestation efforts.

“This important analysis of threatened tree species highlights just how critical it is to protect and restore diverse, healthy forest ecosystems. Over two-thirds of globally threatened bird species are dependent on forests. This report must be taken seriously; for the local communities and Indigenous peoples that rely on forests, for the wildlife that depends on trees and for enhancing forest resilience to climate change,” said Cleo Cunningham, head of climate and forests at BirdLife International.