10% OF WORLD'S TREE SPECIES THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION
25 August, 1998
Geneva - The World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(WCMC), IUCN -- the World Conservation Union and the
World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) today announced
that 10% of the world's known tree species face
extinction.
The findings are reported in the World List of Threatened
Trees, compiled by WCMC, resulting from a three-year
partnership with the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN that was
funded by the Dutch Government. The World List of Threatened Trees was
launched today in Geneva at the Second Session of the Intergovernmental
Forum on Forests, where governments from around the world are meeting to
discuss how to tackle the continuing crisis facing the world's forests.
More than 8,750 of the 80,000 to 100,000 tree species known to science were
found to be threatened with extinction. This includes almost a thousand
species believed to be Critically Endangered, with some species only known
from one or a handful of individuals.
Fewer than one quarter of the species found to be threatened benefit at this
time from conservation measures: Only 12% of these species are recorded in
protected areas and only 8% of species are known to be in cultivation. “We
have found that threats to tree species are increasing and that unless
conservation action is taken immediately, some species face certain extinction
and many others will be joining the list of threatened trees,“ said Sara Oldfield
of WCMC, an editor of the report.
The threats to tree species include felling for timber and wood fuel, agriculture,
expansion of human settlements, uncontrolled forest fires, invasive alien
species and unsustainable forest management. With over 1,000 tree species
threatened as a result of felling, the sustainable management of forests is a
top priority. WWF is backing a scheme by the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) to independently certify well managed forests. The timber products from
these forests are marked with the FSC logo to allow consumers to exercise a
responsible choice about the timber that they buy.
Trees are an intrinsic part of almost all the world's forest ecosystems which
provide services of incalculable value to people, including climate control, water
catchment, medicine, food and timber. The majority of the Earth's species are
dependent upon the survival of trees; tropical forests are home to some 90% of
the world's terrestrial species. “We know that the conservation situation for
plants in general is alarming,“ said Dr Wendy Strahm of IUCN. “If we can't save
these elephants of the plant world, then the prognosis for all other species
which depend on trees is frightening.“
Key solutions advocated by the authors of The World List of Threatened Trees
include sustainable forest management, protection and restoration of forest
habitat and control of alien invasive species, supplemented by ex situ
conservation in botanic gardens, arboreta and seed banks.
“With 77 species already extinct, this report has now confirmed our worst
nightmare“ said Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud of WWF. “The governments gathering
this week must now realize the sense of urgency to increase forest protection,
eliminate illegal logging, and improve forest management.“
For further information, please contact:
Wendy Strahm, IUCN Plants Officer;
Tel: +41 22 999-0157; Fax: +41 22 999-0015
Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, WWF International;
Tel: +41 22 364 9011; Fax: +41 22 364 0640
Tori Lyall, WWF-Forests For Life Campaign
Tel: +44 1483 419 266; Fax: +44 1483 427 965;
Mobile: +44 7771 862 969
Notes to Editors
Slides: Slides of threatened tree species are available.
The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF): WWF is the world's largest
independent conservation organization. It has over five million supporters and a
global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's Forests for Life Campaign
supports the following forest conservation targets:
1) The protection of a minimum of 10% of the world's forests. 22 countries have
already made a pledge to protect a minimum of 10% of their forests by the
year 2000: Argentina, Armenia , Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, the people's republic of China, Columbia, Greece, Lithuania, Malawi,
Mozambique, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Romania, the Russian Republic of
Sakha, Slovak Republic, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam.
2) The independent certification of 25 million hectares of forests by 2001. 10
Million hectares of forests worldwide are now certified. Leading retailers and
manufactures around the world have formed buyers groups (presently in 10
different countries) and are sending the message to thousands of suppliers
that they care about the forests from which their products have been sourced.
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC): WCMC is internationally
recognised as a centre of excellence in the location and management of
information on the conservation and sustainable use of the world's living
resources. WCMC is an independent non-profit organization. It was
established by three of the key international organisations working in the field
of biodiversity conservation: IUCN -- The World Conservation Union; the World
Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP).
IUCN --The World Conservation Union: IUCN brings together States,
government agencies and non-governmental organizations in a unique
partnership: over 900 members spread across 138 countries. IUCN seeks to
influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the
integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources
is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is one of the six volunteer
commissions of IUCN. The SSC's mission is to conserve biological diversity by
developing and executing programmes to save, restore and wisely manage
species and their habitats. With support from the IUCN secretariat, SSC's
programmes are delivered by 7000 volunteer members from nearly every
country in the world.
*WWF is known as World Wildlife Fund in Canada and the United
States of America
|