When you think of Mexico, the first thing that springs to mind probably isn’t ‘oak trees’, but expect that to change. Audrey Denvir of Morton Arboretum shows us why Mexico’s oaks are so remarkable and explains recent moves by tree conservationists to secure their future. Mexico is the country with the greatest oak diversity in the world. Notably, of the around 425 species of oak that exist globally, Mexico is home…
Quercus brandegeei is a species of oak endemic to Mexico, found only in a very small range on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. It grows in ephemeral stream beds that fill up after hurricanes and has very distinct, elongate acorns, which are harvested on a small scale to supplement local diets. B ased on life cycle estimates for its close relatives, Quercus oleoides and Quercus virginiana , researchers estimate that Quercus…
Why these species? The oak genus Quercus contains roughly 450 species distributed predominantly across the Northern Hemisphere from cool temperate to tropical regions. Containing many important ‘keystone species’, oaks are often important components of their forest habitats, supporting many other animals and plants. Yet, entire oak ecosystems have been in decline around the world for the past century, reducing oak populations. The causes are…
Which species and why? Quercus brandegeei, the arroyo oak, is an Endangered, narrowly endemic oak tree in the Cabo Region, Mexico. Historically, ancestors were fairly widespread, however, it is now confined to a very small range. It grows in ephemeral stream beds that fill up after hurricanes and has very distinct, elongate acorns. One-third of its 3,000 km2 range is within a protected area, Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve. The region is a…
As we head into a new year of threatened tree conservation, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest stories and achievements from across GTC and partners around the world in 2021. Read on for a whistle-stop tour of global headlines, local heroes and thousands of new threatened trees! Hitting the headlines One third of the world’s trees threatened with extinction Back in September, BGCI published a landmark report, State of the…
The 5 th Global Botanic Gardens Congress (5GBGC) organised by BGCI, a lead partner of the Global Trees Campaign, was held in Dunedin, New Zealand, from October 20 th – 25 th 2013. Bringing together over 300 delegates from 43 countries, the congress was hailed a great success. Tree conservation was high on the agenda of items to be discussed with two pertinent symposia: Strengthening the conservation value of tree collections for ex situ…
Q: What is the Global Trees Campaign? A: The Global Trees Campaign exists to save the world’s threatened tree species and their habitats through conservation action, capacity development and by influencing and inspiring action from other groups to conserve threatened trees. Q: Who is the Global Trees Campaign? A: The Global Trees Campaign is a partnership between Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Botanic Gardens Conservation…
There is currently no comprehensive resource to identify exceptional plant species, but this information is needed to help prioritize and focus ex situ conservation planning and activities. This project, led by BGCI US, is using information about seed storage behavior and data from the BGCI PlantSearch database to identify exceptional threatened taxa in the United States. BGCI U.S., working with partner botanic gardens and organizations across…
Globally, oaks (from the genus Quercus) are of immense economic and ecological value. Oak timber and bark are used in a number of products (from whisky barrels to wine corks) and various species perform critical ecosystem functions; providing food and habitat for countless species of animals. However, many oak species are threatened with extinction and oak-dominated ecosystems are declining worldwide. Furthermore, oak acorns cannot be seed…
Why these species? The Fagaceae family includes the temperate oaks, beeches, and chestnuts, and is one of the best studied tree groups globally. This highly diverse plant family is commonly found throughout the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere, and has several large, ecological keystone genera confined to the Asian tropics. Due to rapid socio-economic development and large scale land use conversion in Asia, habitats for Fagaceae and…
Globally, trees are primarily threatened by degradation or destruction of woodland for agriculture and timber production. In the UK these factors do not pose a significant threat to our native trees but this does not mean we are immune from problems. This week is National Tree Week in the UK so what better time to learn about the threatened trees of Britain… In the UK there are around 15 threatened trees. The majority are endemic species…