Familiar trees including Oak and Maple are among almost eighteen thousand species of trees under threat of extinction experts have warned [1].
The Global Tree Assessment draws on the work of 500
experts representing 61 organizations and brings together data on the status
and health of trees gathered globally.
The picture it paints is a decidedly gloomy one, 142
species of tree have already vanished from the wild and 422 are on the brink of
extinction. Altogether 30% of the world’s 60,000 identified tree species are
under threat.
Trees are coming under pressure from forest clearance for
agriculture and development, extreme weather and rising sea levels caused by
climate change are also significant threats.
Conservation groups are calling for governments around
the world to take action to halt the decline in tree species.
The actions required include preserving and strengthening
protection for existing forests, creating seed banks to protect threatened
species, and providing more funding for tree planting schemes.
Speaking to the BBC Sara Oldfield from the Global
Tree Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
said that trees have a “unique ecological role to play”, adding that “With 30%
of the world's tree species threatened with extinction, we need to urgently
scale-up conservation action."
The
World Meteorological Organization recently released data showing that the
number of weather-related disasters has increased five-fold over that past half
century.
Climate
change has been cited as a major contributing factor, particularly in developing
countries where deforestation has been prevalent [2]. It has also been linked
to a rise in temperatures across Europe described as ‘troubling’ by the
American Meteorological society [3].
Land
temperatures in 2020 were more than 1.9C above the long-term average for the
period between 1981 and 2010, making them the highest since records began in 1900,
temperatures in the Arctic were also found to be rising rapidly.
In
August Dr Robert Dunn a senior climate scientist at the UK Met Office told the
BBC the rise in land temperatures were something to “sit up and take notice of,
but it's not just the temperatures that are increasing, the extreme events, the
heat waves we're seeing this year, and last year as well. We're seeing these
responses across the world."
Forests,
along with peatlands and other habitats have a vital role to play mitigating
and possibly reversing the harm done by climate change; but they need to be
protected. This is an effort in which national government, local authorities,
communities, and individuals have a role to play.
In Stoke-on-Trent
a small, but determined, group of volunteers supported by but not linked to the
city council are setting up a network of Tree Wardens [4] to protect, enhance
and promote the trees and woodland in our area. We are looking for like minded
supporters with a few hours a month to spare to join our team.
For further
information contact:
Adam
Colclough
Email:
colclougha@aol.com
Mobile:
07776432636
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58394215
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58396975
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58333124
[4] https://treecouncil.org.uk/take-action/tree-wardens/
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