Amazon Tree Species On The Decline

57% of all Amazonian trees face extinction, say international scientists.

16:48 23 November 2015

Up to 57per cent of Amazon’s tree species now qualify as being globally threatened under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species criteria. This raises the number of plant species in this category by almost 25per cent.

 

According to the study, the trees at risk include Brazil nut tree, cacao (the source of chocolate), and rare trees that are almost unknown to science.

 

Researchers from 21 countries have compared the data from almost 1,500 forest plots with maps of current and predicted forest loss to determine the number of trees that have been lost and are likely to disappear by the middle of the century.

 

One of the researchers, Prof Carlos Peres from the University of East Anglia's School of Environmental Sciences in Norwich, said: "Our research estimates that more than half of all species may face extinction.”

 

"Fortunately protected areas and indigenous territories now cover over half of the Amazon basin, and likely contain sizeable populations of most threatened species. "

 

Meanwhile, William Laurance from James Cook University in Australia, who also contributed to the study, added: "Either we stand up and protect these critical parks and indigenous reserves, or deforestation will erode them until we see large-scale extinctions."