With the aim to secure some of Ethiopia’s rarest trees, botanic gardens and arboreta have begun to build the skills and momentum to reverse tree species declines in the country. GTC training and support is helping pave the way for an action plan to conserve Ethiopia’s threatened trees. Ethiopia is a centre of diversity with…
The year 2015 marked a great year for the Global Trees Campaign (GTC). As we make plans for another exciting year ahead, we thought it would be fitting to reflect upon what we and our partners achieved in 2015 and share our proudest moments with our followers and supporters. Prioritising species of greatest conservation concern…
At this time of year people all over the world bring Christmas trees into their homes to welcome in the festive spirit. But did you know that 34% of conifers are at risk of becoming extinct in their natural environment due to things such as habitat loss? Over the next 12 days, the Global Trees…
Until recently, Betula megrelica – a birch species endemic to the Caucasus – was only known to grow on two mountains in north-west Georgia. But the discovery of a new population this autumn by a team of Georgian and UK botanists has raised hopes for the future of this Endangered tree species. Betula megrelica trees are true…
Scientific trials reveal new planting techniques improve germination success and seedling health of a Critically Endangered species of Magnolia. Magnolia longipedunculata is a Critically Endangered species with only 11 trees left in the wild. The entire global population is found within one site in south-east China, the Nankunshan Nature Reserve in Guangdong. This tiny population…
Fauna & Flora International’s Dave Gill explains why a breakthrough by Guangxi Institute of Botany scientists could help save one of China’s most threatened tree species. In a ramshackle restaurant in Ziyuan town, Guangxi, three botanists wait patiently for me to finish my breakfast. Ignoring the noodles slipping between my chopsticks and splattering the table…
The Global Trees Campaign aims to avoid all tree extinctions in the wild. An important component of conservation action must be ex situ conservation: securing a species outside of its natural range, as a back-up measure in case remaining wild populations are lost. Our new report, released today, highlights that 74% of the most threatened…
Fauna & Flora International’s Senior Conservation Biologist Jenny Daltry reveals how a study of the lansan tree is helping to support livelihoods and species conservation in Saint Lucia. Following the edge of the Forest Reserve on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, Adams Toussaint pointed to a startling trail of destruction. One tree after another…
Africa’s Young Women Conservation Biologists Award 2015 won by Malagasy biologist and GTC partner, Julie Hanta Razafimanahaka. Fresh from the 27th International Congress on Conservation Biology, the Global Trees Campaign (GTC) is excited to celebrate the success of our partner, Julie Hanta Razafimanahaka. Julie was awarded the Young Women Conservation Biologists (YWCB) Award 2015 by…
Seeds of Vietnamese golden cypress plants have been successfully grown for the first time at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, providing hope for the dwindling population in the mountains of northern Vietnam. For the first time ever, plants of the Endangered Vietnamese golden cypress have been successfully grown from seeds, at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest,…
The July 2015 issue of Fauna & Flora International’s academic journal, Oryx, is dedicated to tree conservation. In this blog, Dave Gill and Rob Loveridge pay tribute to the scientists whose work is guiding the conservation of the ‘charismatic megaflora’. On close inspection, trees reveal all sorts of secrets. In 2015 alone, scientists have discovered…
The known population size of the Critically Endangered Yuanbaoshan fir more than doubled following expeditions in Yuanbaoshan National Nature Reserve (NNR). Project Manager, Xiaoya Li explains what this discovery means and how it will influence their conservation. The future of the Yuanbaoshan fir (Abies yuanbaoshanensis), a Critically Endangered tree species found in a single nature…