News published: 10 March 2023

The Botanic Garden and Museum of the University of Pisa (BGM-PI), the worldwide oldest academic botanic garden by foundation date (1543), has among its collections about 200 species of trees, including some monumental specimens, such as a fan tree (Ginkgo biloba L.) and a magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.) planted in 1787.

A study, carried out by some members of the staff of the Botanical Garden in collaboration with Lorenzo Peruzzi, botanist at the Department of Biology (University of Pisa) and Director of BGM-PI, explores the potential future effects of climate change on the tree heritage of the structure by using the Climate Assessment Tool.

“Our study analyzes some possible climate change scenarios thanks to the Climate assessment tool recently provided by the Climate Change Alliance of Botanic Gardens – explains Marco D’Antraccoli, Curator of the Botanic Garden – then comparing the climatic conditions expected for the future with those typical of the species we currently have in cultivation”.

In the most pessimistic scenario, the study estimates that by the end of this century up to 60% of the tree species cultivated in the Botanical Gardens will be found outside their typical climatic conditions. Also, some species of conservation interest might be threatened by the ongoing climatic trend.

“Like some inspiring previous experiences, such as the Landscape Succession Strategy drafted by the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, assessing the degree of sensitivity to climate change of individual specimens allows to map real climate risk of the Garden. Accordingly, we will develop a medium-long term plan for species replacement, in order to mitigate the impact of climate change on the tree heritage and on the layout of the garden” concludes Lorenzo Peruzzi.

The research has just been published in the journal Sustainability: