Databook on Endangered Tree and Shrub Species and Provenances

At its 5th Session in Rome in 1981, the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources included in its list of species in need of attention. 81 species considered threatened with extinction or subject to severe, genetic depletion. These 81 species, endangered either at the species or provenance level, form the basis for the present book. Some of these were also described in FAO's 1981 Draft Data Book on Endangered Forest Tree Species and Provenances elaborated in cooperation with IUFRO (International Union for Forestry Research Organizations) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). The list of species included is by no means a complete list of endangered woody species, but represents a cross-cut of those species which the Panel considered should urgently be included in genetic resources programmes. Many national lists exist on endangered flora and fauna, and these complement the present list of species of international socioeconomic importance. Information from national lists is regularly collated and computerized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), which concentrates on recording information on species considered endangered, threatened and vulnerable, at the species, rather than intraspecific, level. The main purpose of the present book is to draw the attention of decision-makers, scientists and international and national organizations to the conservation needs of the species included in the book. To facilitate conservation activities, the book gives information on distribution, ecology, biology; actual or potential uses; silviculture; genetic status; and remedial action underway or recommended to safeguard the genetic resources at species and provenance levels. The book attempts to give as reliable an account as possible of each species, and over fourty scientists from more than twenty institutes worldwide have contributed to the Data Sheets (See acknowledgements). Information for many species is, however, still far from complete and conservation action will thus have to be complemented by further, basic studies on the species in question.