News & Blog

Devastating events in the USA highlight the need for ‘insurance collections’ of the world’s most threatened trees

Posted on March 24th 2016 by Emily Beech

Last summer, five UK dendrologists embarked on a three-week expedition to the Pacific north-west coast of the USA, travelling 4000 miles, securing seed for tree species’ futures. Representatives from GTC partners the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury National Pinetum and Oxford University Botanic Gardens Harcourt Arboretum, along with the Forestry Commission’s Westonbirt National Arboretum, visited three states…

Half of the world’s Magnolia are threatened with extinction

Posted on March 18th 2016 by Lydia Murphy

The latest Red List to be published under the Global Tree Assessment shows that half of all Magnolia species are threatened with extinction in the wild. To find such a high proportion of threatened species in such a well-known and widely cultivated plant family is alarming, and signals the need for more concerted conservation action…

Global Trees Campaign launches a new grant for Masters students

Posted on February 26th 2016 by Victoria Price

Applications for a Global Trees Campaign student grant are invited from MSc students undertaking research projects focused on the in situ conservation of a threatened tree species. More than 9,600 trees species are threatened with extinction yet very few trees receive attention from applied conservation projects. One of the reasons for this is the low number…

One Tree Love

Posted on February 11th 2016 by Emily Beech

It is that time of the year again! Once again we celebrate some of the world’s most threatened trees as described by those who love them. This year we have asked project partners as well as Global Tree Specialist Group (GTSG) members to pick their #OneTreeLove. Follow your heart Daudet Andriafidison, Biologist, Conservation & Community…

Ethiopia’s botanic gardens embark on a tree conservation journey

Posted on February 11th 2016 by Kirsty Shaw

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…

Celebrating successes of 2015

Posted on January 15th 2016 by Victoria Price

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…

The Twelve Trees of Christmas

Posted on December 11th 2015 by Emily Beech

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…

Going on a birch hunt

Posted on December 7th 2015 by Lydia Murphy

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…

Magnolia longipedunculata: the climate migrant, putting in the hard graft to survive

Posted on December 2nd 2015 by Malin Rivers

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…

Restarting the regeneration game

Posted on November 11th 2015 by David Gill

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…

Only one in four of the most threatened trees are represented in ex situ collections

Posted on October 22nd 2015 by Kirsty Shaw

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…

Wising up to Caribbean frankincense

Posted on September 1st 2015 by Jenny Daltry

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…