This figure alone could almost sum up what is at stake in the current negotiations in Cali, Colombia, where the 16th World Conference on Biodiversity (COP16) is held: Over one in three tree species is now threatened with extinction.
The Legré rowan (Hedlundia legrei), endemic to the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region (southeastern France); the Hinckley oak, which belongs to the white oak group; more than half of all magnolia species and the horse chestnut, though widespread in Europe. Trees are also being hit hard by human activities, leading to a collapse in biodiversity. In Cali, negotiators from some 200 countries will have to say, by Friday, November 1, how they intend to implement their commitments to make peace with nature.
The update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, published on Monday, October 28, represents the most extensive assessment of the health status of trees. For the first time, the majority of some 64,000 known species have been included on this global register: Of the 47,282 species assessed, at least 16,425 (38%) are at risk of extinction, in other words, classified in one of three categories ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered. The assessment, which is the result of the collaboration of 1,000 experts over several years, has confirmed the result of a study published in 2021 by the British association Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
"Trees play a major role for ecosystems and people," said Eimear Nic Lughadha, the leader of Conservation Assessment and Analysis at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "We hope this frightening statistic will spur urgent action and be used to inform conservation plans."
The Red List, the world's most comprehensive inventory of the state of flora and fauna, is one of the tools used to evaluate the state of biodiversity. Created just over 60 years ago, it now lists over 166,000 plant and animal species, of which 46,337 are threatened. The number of tree species at risk of extinction is twice that of all threatened bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species combined.
Every time trees disappear, thousands of other species of plants, animals and fungi are in turn weakened. "More than two-thirds of the world's threatened bird species depend on forests," said Cleo Cunningham, head of climate and forests at the non-governmental organization (NGO) BirdLife International. "This report must be taken seriously for the local populations and indigenous peoples who depend on forests."
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