From Plant Press, Vol. 23, No. 2, April 2020.
Sara Oldfield, Co-Chair IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group
This year biodiversity and climate change will be in the headlines as politicians take stock of progress towards global targets and make plans for increasing concerted action. Tree species are of fundamental importance both as elements of biodiversity and in adaptation and mitigation measures addressing climate change. One way botanists around the world are contributing their expertise to support scaled-up environmental action is through the Global Tree Assessment (GTA). This is a global effort to assess the risk of extinction faced by each and every tree species by the end of 2020. The goal is to pull together all existing data on the conservation status of tree species and add conservation assessments to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for all previously unassessed tree species. This is a huge collaborative effort, managed and coordinated by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the IUCN Global Tree Specialist Group (GTSG) working together with many national and local institutions and individuals. The Smithsonian Institution is contributing significantly to this global initiative which will be used to prioritize and significantly increase conservation efforts to ensure that no tree species goes extinct.
An initial task in the GTA was to produce the first global checklist of the world's tree species. This in itself was no easy feat given that plant habit is not routinely recorded in taxonomic checklists. The list of around 60,000 tree species with accepted names and country level distribution took two years to produce by consulting a range of plant databases, over 500 scientific references, and working with around 80 tree experts. The list is maintained online by BGCI as the GlobalTreeSearch database at https://www.bgci.org/resources/bgci-databases/globaltreesearch/. It remains a dynamic resource reflecting taxonomic and nomenclatural changes and is a baseline for monitoring progress towards the GTA. GlobalTreeSearch has also been connected to the World Flora Online, which is being developed as the open-access, web-based compendium of all the world’s plant species.
Evaluating the conservation status of tree species for the GTA follows the guidelines for applying the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Each species is assessed by considering information on its area of distribution, population size and trend, habitat, uses, and threatening factors. Herbarium specimens and collection data continue to be of primary value in carrying out conservation assessments. Wherever possible these are combined with field knowledge of botanical experts. Often there is limited information on individual tree species and further fieldwork would greatly enhance our knowledge. Nevertheless, we need to use what information is currently available rather than waiting and, at the same time, identify those species which are poorly known and in need of further research. Concerns about loss of particular areas of forest and similar indirect information can form part of the species assessment process.
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