Global tree diversity is under severe human pressure!

Today, our researchers published a new paper in PNAS highlighting that Earth’s tree diversity has a high conservation priority. A diverse forest provides a higher number of ecosystem serves and is more efficient at carbon sequestration compared to a forest featuring low biodiversity. Together with an international team of scientists, our CMK researcher Nadia Soudzilovskaia has analyzed types of human pressures that distinct tree species are exposed to. The team proposes a framework for effective conservation of global tree diversity. They assess the effectiveness of current conservation prioritization frameworks to protect the tree diversity and identify the priority areas for tree biodiversity protection. Soudzilovskaia explains: “We show that most of world tree species receive limited protection within the current protected areas, and are under substantial human pressure. Yet, the best way forward to improved protection of tree biodiversity is in developing a comprehensive approach of overall biodiversity protection.” 

Read about it here!