Five experts from Botanic Gardens Conservation International explain how the Global Tree Assessment prioritises action to save trees from extinction
The Global Tree Assessment is a collaborative global initiative assessing the conservation status of all the world’s tree species. There are around 57,500 different tree species, but until recently, there was little information about those trees most threatened with extinction.
The Global Tree Assessment explained
The Global Tree Assessment was initiated in 2015, recognising the limited number of tree species included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List and the need for more conservation data for trees. It is the largest global assessment project to date. Coordinated by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Global Tree Specialist Group, the project has involved the work of over 1,000 tree experts globally and resulted in published IUCN Red List assessments for nearly 50,000 tree species, accounting for over a quarter of all assessments published on the IUCN Red List.
The Global Tree Assessment has identified that at least a third of the world’s tree species are threatened with extinction, with these threatened trees found in 192 countries. There are twice the number of threatened trees on the IUCN Red List than all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined.
However, to save the world’s trees from extinction comprehensive assessments is only the first step. The information collected must now be utilised to ensure no tree species goes extinct. To prevent tree extinctions, it is vital to ensure that the best available information is used to inform conservation decisions made by practitioners, policymakers, and funders.
By publishing conservation assessments on the IUCN Red List, the information collected on which species are threatened, where, and why they are threatened is freely available and globally accessible to any relevant parties to inform conservation action at local, national and international scales. The Global Tree Assessment has been instrumental in providing a means of coordinating and collating all the information and knowledge experts worldwide provide.
Conservation action
Additionally, action has already been taken on the ground. Conservation projects worldwide are already underway in response to the information produced through the Global Tree Assessment. For example, BGCI’s Global Trees programme works with local partners worldwide on integrated conservation projects for threatened tree species to ensure their continued survival.
Alongside the IUCN Red List, the Global Tree Assessment and BGCI are enabling the gathering and sharing of information, through several tools, which provide easy access to tree data, that can be used to guide conservation prioritisation and monitor conservation action. One key example is the GlobalTree Portal, which links several of BGCI’s databases (PlantSearch, GardenSearch, ThreatSearch, GlobalTreeSearch) to visualise the number of tree species, their conservation status and distribution, as well as on-going conservation actions (both ex situ – in botanic garden collections, and in situ – in protected areas). The GlobalTree Portal can be searched at a global, country, or species level.
Within the species level search on the GlobalTree Portal, the Conservation Action Tracker provides more in-depth information about whether conservations actions, such as in situ planting, management, species action plans, and propagation protocols, are in progress. We encourage conservation practitioners and organisations to share information via the Conservation Action Tracker, with the aim of facilitating collaboration between conservation practitioners working on similar species and to identify threatened species that are not under any conservation action.
Protect all tree species from extinction
Tracking conservation efforts is key to ensuring that all tree species are protected from extinction and highlights where conservation action is the most needed. This data can be used to set priorities for conservation planning, facilitating policy change and taking direct action to avoid tree species going extinct.
The Global Tree Assessment has successfully collated a wealth of data about the world’s tree species and highlighted the need for targeted action to prevent the extinction of any of the 17,000 threatened tree species.
Authors
This article was written by Emily Beech, Head of Conservation Prioritisation;
Kathryn Fowler, Conservation Officer; Ryan Hills, Conservation Manager; Malin
C. Rivers, Head of Conservation Prioritisation; and Magdalena S. Svensson,
Conservation Officer
