Nearly 9,200 Tree Species Have Yet to be Discovered
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that there are roughly 73,000 types of trees on Earth and an estimated 9,200 of them are still undiscovered. A third of these unknown species are likely to be rare or endangered due to climate change. Combining data sources from the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative and TREECHANGE, researchers created the world’s largest forest database which they then used to estimate the unfound trees. “By establishing a quantitative benchmark, this study could contribute to tree and forest conservation efforts and the future discovery of new trees and associated species in certain parts of the world,” says co-author of the study and Director of the Institute for Global Change Biology at the University of Michigan, Peter Reich. Learn more about this eye-opening discovery and how it can further climate justice at CNN.
Image courtesy of Emeric Fahlen/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Via cnn.com link opens in a new window
