A new study delivers a ‘warning to humanity,’ urging swift action to preserve the planet’s 60,000 tree species. The trees’ future seems bleak.
Significant biodiversity losses would result from the widespread extinction of tree species. About 75 % of bird species, 68 % of mammal species, and 10 million types of invertebrates are found in forests, providing habitat for the other half of the world’s animal and plant species.
Read out below all the shocking details.
Trees’ Lives Depend on Us!
Without acting now, it will impact humanity, our economies and livelihoods; […] it will have a catastrophic impact on the planet, reads the new study.
An ecosystem can be profoundly changed by the loss of a single tree species, having a catastrophic impact on how well it can operate. So, you can imagine what the damage could be if thousands of species were involved.
According to a recent study, if the widespread tree loss persists, it will have detrimental effects on wildlife, humans, and the planet’s ecosystems.
Researchers discovered that the world’s woods generate $1.3 trillion in economic output. Although timber is the most valuable commodity, for instance, non-timber goods, such as nuts, fruit, and medicines, generate up to $88 billion in international commerce annually.
Also, 53 % of the fruit that we consume originates from trees.
Malin Rivers is the head of conservation prioritization at BCGI (the Botanic Gardens Conservation International) and the recent study’s lead author.
Rivers released a statement revealing:
Last year, we published the State of the World’s Trees report, where we showed at least 17,500 tree species, about a third of the world’s 60,000 tree species, are at risk of extinction.
Besides that, billions of trees are still lost every year due to climate change, drought, invasive species, diseases, pests, and industrial-scale deforestation for wood, palm oil, and other agricultural uses from tropical islands to species-rich regions like the Amazon. More than 100 tree species have already gone extinct in the wild, so what will we do?
The study’s authors urge more robust global tree preservation measures and increased state-level consideration of trees in climate and environmental policies.