Securing a Future for the World’s Threatened Trees — A Global Challenge comes on the heels of the State of the World’s Trees, which showed at least 30 percent of global tree species are threatened with extinction

September 14, 2021 (London, UK) — Although the State of the World’s Trees shows the substantial scale of the challenge facing tree species globally, the information now available from the report and the GlobalTree Portal can be used to guide and plan tree conservation action. It shows us which tree species most need our help, the threats they face and which countries have a high number of threatened trees.

The Global Trees Campaign (GTC) — a collaboration between Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and Fauna and Flora International (FFI) — has been working on in situ conservation of threatened trees over the past two decades. Alongside the State of the World’s Trees, a companion report calls for the mobilisation of new players and scaling up of global efforts to conserve threatened trees. Securing a Future for the World’s Threatened Trees — A Global Challenge sets out tried-and-tested approaches from across the GTC partnership. 

In this report, GTC shares examples of effective tree conservation with land managers, the corporate sector, governments, conservation organisations, tree planting and restoration practitioners and the research community in order to grow the global tree conservation taskforce. Included are case studies from across the world to demonstrate the success of a range of practical approaches, such as: on-the-ground survey work that led to the rediscovery of species previously thought to be extinct in Peru and East Africa; threat-reduction actions to protect wild trees and promote natural regeneration in Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan; targeted capacity building that enabled the development of community nurseries in Bhutan and more effective conservation action in China; and mobilisation of groups to catalyse new action across the world.

A global response

In contrast to the numerous well-known flagship animal species, threatened trees have received little attention as a conservation priority and the current level of in situ conservation action for threatened trees needs to grow significantly.

The global challenge of conserving the world’s threatened trees requires a global response, with all sectors engaging and taking action at a variety of scales. Now, armed with the data from the GTA and the State of the World’s Trees report, threatened tree species can be prioritised and, building on what we have achieved through the GTC, effective strategies for the in situ conservation of threatened trees can be developed and implemented.

Now is the time for collective action to halt and reverse the trend for threatened trees.

Read Securing a Future for the World’s Threatened Trees — A Global Challenge here.

About BGCI

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the world’s largest plant conservation network, comprising more than 650 botanical institutions in over 100 countries. Established in 1987, BGCI is a registered charity with offices in the UK, US, Singapore, China and Kenya. BGCI leverages the expertise at botanic gardens worldwide for tree conservation with the Global Tree Assessment, BGCI’s Tree Conservation Fund and the Global Trees Campaign.

About FFI

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is the world’s longest established international conservation body, founded over 100 years ago.