Context
Over 9,200 tree species around the world are still awaiting discovery, according to estimates from a new study. The overall global tally of known and unknown tree species could be nearly 73,000.
Key-highlights of the findings
The present study “estimated how many species are not yet known (undiscovered).
- 64,088 known tree species exist on earth, and 9,186 species of trees were awaiting discovery.
- Distribution: Roughly 43 per cent of all tree species can be found in South America, followed by Eurasia (22 per cent), Africa (16 per cent), North America (15 per cent) and Oceania (11 per cent).
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India is estimated to hold 2,000-2,600 species of trees and undiscovered remain unknown.
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What are the threats?
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About 30 per cent of tree species are threatened with extinction and at least 142 tree species have been wiped out
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Tree species are threatened due to
- deforestation
- spread of invasive pests and diseases
- climate change
- Human-inflicted pressures
- large development projects
Large development projects in India
India is making way for a slew of such projects. For example,
- The government has proposed establishing a port, airport, township, and power plant in 16,610 hectares in Great Nicobar, a pristine tropical island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Great Nicobar covers 103,870 hectares of unique and threatened tropical evergreen forest ecosystems.
- Other big dams in Arunachal Pradesh and mining in places like Hasdeo Arand (a forest in Chhattisgarh) are likely to destroy these valuable forests before we even properly document their rich diversity of trees and other biodiversity.
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