The world’s trees may also be one of its most threatened organisms, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Science. It finds that many more tropical tree species are in danger of going extinct far sooner than previously thought.
The results add to the evidence for a growing, global biodiversity crisis as the climate warms and human activity pushes more and more plants and animals to the brink.
“Reversing this crisis is a pressing challenge,” write study authors led by Renato A.F. de Lima of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, in Science.
