News & Blog

Invasive pests are the greatest threat to the survival of the world’s ash species

Posted on by Megan Barstow

  For the first time the conservation status of all 53 species of ash or Fraxinus trees is revelaed in GTC’s latest red list publication, The Red List of Fraxinus. The report finds the majority of Fraxinus species (79%) are not threatened with extinction in the wild. However, 11 species are still at high risk of being lost from…

Blood, sweat and tears of a conservationist in search of the world’s rarest apple: one student’s amazing journey to save a species

Posted on by Brett Wilson

In May 2017, Imperial College London master’s student Brett Wilson undertook Global Trees Campaign sponsored fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan’s fruit and nut forest to find one of the rarest wild apples on the planet. In this blog, he shares his experiences and describes what his research means for a species on the edge. A forgotten world Apples…

Two of the world’s tea species extinct in the wild according to new report

Posted on by Megan Barstow

  The Red List of Theaceae, the tea family, was published by the Global Trees Campaign today and identified more than a third of the world’s Theaceae species are threatened with extinction. Sadly, two species of tea, Franklinia alatamaha and Camellia amplexicaulis are already Extinct in the Wild, highlighting the urgent need for conservation action.…

400,000 trees for Christmas

Posted on by Kirsty Shaw

  At a time when conifer trees are decorated as part of Christmas celebrations around the globe, the Global Trees Campaign is busy planting 400,000 seedlings to save one of the most threatened conifer species in the world from extinction. Mulanje Cedar (Widdringtonia whytei) is endemic to Mulanje Mountain in Malawi. In 2016, the Global…

Research funding for trees on the edge

Posted on by Victoria Price

Global Trees Campaign is now accepting applications for support for Masters level research focused on the conservation of the world’s most threatened tree species. With over 10,000 tree species threatened with extinction, action is needed now more than ever to bring back these species from the brink of extinction. Siamese rosewood is the world’s most traded…

Saving seeds in the Indian Ocean Islands

Posted on by Kirsty Shaw

  Mauritius has at least 24 trees reported on the IUCN Red List to have less than 50 remaining individuals in the wild! Islands are hotspots for threatened species. They often contain endemic species with limited opportunity to become established elsewhere. Red listing and conservation action for threatened trees on islands is therefore a priority…

Big questions for tree conservation

Posted on by David Gill

The Global Trees Campaign has identified a number of research opportunities which would contribute to tree species conservation. These may be of interest to MSc and MRes students looking to collaborate with applied practitioners for their research projects in 2018. Working with our in-country partners, the Global Trees Campaign is currently supporting conservation actions for…

Call for applications: small grant for tree species conservation in Asia-Pacific region.

Posted on by Victoria Price

The Global Trees Campaign is delighted to announce its support of the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). The programme, which supports future conservation leaders, is now accepting applications for the CLP 2018 Future Conservationist Award, in which one project will be dedicated to tree species conservation. The need to boost conservation action for the world’s threatened…

The Tall and the Small of Tropical Asian Trees

Posted on by Jean Linsky

In her role as Southeast Asia Botanic Gardens Network Coordinator, Jean Linsky works with botanic gardens across the region on the conservation of plants in tropical Asia.  Here she shares five threatened Asian tropical trees, both tall and small, which are in urgent need of conservation. The world’s largest trees often get a lot of…

Delving into the heart of Príncipe Island’s forests

Posted on by Hazel Akester

  At least six species that have never been seen before on Príncipe Island were identified during recent field surveys undertaken by intrepid local and international botanists. The surveys formed part of the biggest joint plant research effort ever to be undertaken in Príncipe, with 1,200 trees recorded, 110 different species observed, and 450 herbarium…

Getting Threatened Trees Trending

Posted on by Yvette Harvey-Brown

  To help raise awareness of the plight currently facing the world’s tree species, the GTC organised a suite of tree conservation talks on Tree Tuesday of BGCI’s Sixth Global Botanic Garden Congress to place threatened trees firmly in the limelight. Here Yvette Harvey-Brown reports on the major discussion points of Tree Tuesday. BGCI’s Sixth…

Sowing seeds of hope for a Critically Endangered magnolia in Vietnam

Posted on by David Gill

In the limestone hills of northern Vietnam, villagers have been busy planting one of the world’s rarest magnolias back into its natural habitat. More than 1,100 seedlings from the Critically Endangered Magnolia grandis have been planted out by people from three villages in Ha Giang province, northern Vietnam. In a bid to save the species…