Trends in Plant Science
UpdateFORUM: Science & SocietyBotanic gardens and the conservation of tree species
Section snippets
The decline of tree species
Clearance of forest for agriculture and mining, logging for timber and overgrazing of woodlands have all contributed to the decline of tree species in the wild 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Climate change is adding an additional overarching threat to species with limited distributions, such as trees that are endemic to the cloud forests of Mexico [6] and threatened trees that are endemic to Cuba [7]. Climate change is also likely to pose particular problems for tree species with poor regeneration and
Ex situ and In situ conservation of tree species
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines ex situ conservation as the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats (http://www.cbd.int/convention/convention.shtml). Ex situ conservation is the component of species conservation that is usually associated with zoos and botanic gardens. Article 9 of the CBD stresses the importance of ex situ conservation ‘predominantly for the purpose of complementing in situ measures’ (//www.cbd.int/convention/convention.shtml
Taking stock
At present, 1700 globally threatened tree species are recorded as represented in the living collections of botanic gardens and arboreta, according to the PlantSearch Database (http://www.bgci.org/plant_search.php) maintained by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). Considering the 1002 Critically Endangered tree species, 192 are currently recorded in cultivation in the same database. An urgent priority is to ensure that all Critically Endangered tree species are included in ex situ
Conserving Magnolia spp.
Magnolias are one group of ornamental plants that are particularly well represented in botanic garden collections. Although the emphasis might be on showy cultivars, botanic gardens act as important repositories for globally threatened species of this genus. Over 130 Magnolia species are considered to be threatened with extinction, over half of all species in the genus [16]. As well as being valued ornamental trees and shrubs, magnolias also provide important sources of timber, medicinal
Restoration and reintroduction
Tree planting is widely seen as an important environmental activity and an effective response to climate change brought about by anthropogenic carbon emissions. However, knowledge of how to use tree species effectively in planting schemes is still inadequate. Generally, only a limited range of often non-indigenous tree species is used, particularly fast-growing species of pine and Eucalyptus. As pointed out by Innes and Hickey [17], forest plantations for carbon sequestration have generally
The last chance for trees?
Some of the trees represented in botanic gardens are already extinct in the wild including the Franklin tree, Franklinia alatamaha and Toromiro, Sophora toromiro. The specimens of these trees in botanic gardens around the world are poignant reminders of the loss of tree diversity in the wild. There is some hope that S. toromiro, the only tree on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) from which the iconic carvings were made, can be reintroduced to its island habitat [18] but as yet it remains only in ex situ
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