There are over 58,000 known tree species globally, with 58% endemic to a single country. A global database tracks taxonomy and distribution of tree species, of which over 35,000 have been assessed for conservation by the IUCN. At least 17,500 tree species, or 30%, are threatened with extinction. Country-level data is being compiled on tree species checklists, conservation status, and policies to help protect biodiversity.

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Tree defined as “a woody plant usually with a single
stem growing to a height of at least two metres, or if
multi-stemmed, then at least one vertical stem five
centimetres in diameter at breast height”.
First georeferenced, digital, global checklist of all tree
species published in 2017.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10549
811.2017.1310049?journalCode=wjsf20
GlobalTreeSearch database regularly updated for
taxonomy, form, distribution etc.

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• 58,497 known species of tree
• 58% of tree species are endemic to a single
country
• Currently over 35,000 tree species are assessed
on the IUCN Global Red List and 92% of tree
species have some kind of assessment
• At least 17,500 tree species (30%) are
threatened with extinction

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Hyophorbe amaricaulis, Mauritius Acer amamiense, Japan Magnolia mayae, Mexico

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• Country synthesis of all tree data for the first
time.
• Checklists of all tree species, all endemic tree
species and all threatened tree species
• In situ and ex situ conservation status
• Government policymakers
• BGCI member and partner organisations
https://www.bgci.org/resources/bgci-databases/globaltree-
portal/

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Species richness – all tree species
Species richness – endemic tree species

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The GlobalUsefulTrees database has been
developed by CIFOR-ICRAF, and links in to
conservation status information in the GlobalTree
Portal.
GlobalUsefulTrees includes 14,014 tree species,
roughly one quarter of all tree species listed in
GlobalTreeSearch and one third of all species
listed in the World Checklist of Useful Plant
Species (WCUPS)
https://patspo.shinyapps.io/GlobalUsefulTrees/

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Bonn Challenge: 43 countries in the tropics and sub-
tropics have committed nearly 300 Mha of degraded land
for afforestation to sequester carbon
Almost half of the pledged area is set to become
plantations of commercial trees.
Highly likely that proportion of plantations will be much
higher
Lewis et al. Nature 568 (2019)

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• 10 Golden Rules for Restoring Forests paper
(Di Sacco et al. 2021) sets out the most
important things to consider
• In February 2021 BGCI and the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew held a joint
conference on effective restoration and the
Kew Declaration was published with
signatures from 2,612 individuals and 114
organisations
• Biodiversity impacts should not only be
considered, they should be measured
DiSacco et al. (2021).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.15498

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• We know how to grow at least 18,000
tree species
• In mainstream forestry we use a few
hundred species at most
• Exotic monocultures can be detrimental to
ecosystem services (e.g. water, erosion
control), are not resilient and provide very
limited benefits for biodiversity.
• Native tree species are good for
ecosystem functioning, biodiversity and
resilience.

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BGCI is an independent organisation registered in the United Kingdom as a charity (Charity Reg. No. 1098834) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 4673175). BGCI (US)
is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the USA.
Descanso House, 199 Kew Road,
Richmond, Surrey
TW9 3BW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5953
E-mail: info@bgci.org
Online: www.bgci.org