Yahoo – AFP,
April 5, 2017
 |
| Brazil is the country with the most diverse tree population, with 8,715 species, according to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) group |
The first
ever global database of trees on Wednesday revealed that 9,600 tree species are
threatened with extinction and identified a total of 60,065 in existence.
Brazil is
the country with the most diverse tree population, with 8,715 species,
according to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) group.
It also has
the largest number of tree species -- 4,333 -- that only exist there.
In total 58
percent of trees are so-called single country endemics, with 2,991 species only
found in Madagascar and 2,584 only found in Australia.
After
Brazil, Colombia is the second most diverse country, with 5,776 different tree
species, followed by Indonesia, with 5,142.
The
London-based BGCI, which represents an estimated 2,500 botanic gardens around
the world, used data from more than 500 published sources to create the list.
Of the
60,065 tree species, only around 20,000 have been assessed for their
conservation status -- of which 9,600 are threatened with extinction.
"BGCI's
main reason for publishing the list is to provide a tool for people trying to
conserve rare and threatened tree species," the organisation said in a
statement.
"Currently,
around 10,000 tree species are known to be threatened with extinction, largely
by deforestation and over-exploitation.
"This
number includes over 300 species that are critically endangered with fewer than
50 individuals remaining in the wild."
Aside from
the Arctic and the Antarctic where there are no trees, the Nearctic region --
comprising most of North America -- has the lowest diversity, with less than
1,400 tree species.
The
database will be continually updated, as around 2,000 new plants are discovered
and described each year.
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