Wild fruit trees face extinction
By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News The wild ancestors of common domestic fruit trees are in danger of becoming extinct, scientists have warned.
Researchers have published a “red list” of threatened species that grow in the forests of Central Asia. These disease-resistant and climate-tolerant fruit trees could play a role in our future food security. But in the last 50 years, about 90% of the forests have been destroyed, according to conservation charity, Fauna & Flora International. The Red List of Central Asia identifies 44 tree species in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan as under threat from extinction. It cites over-exploitation and human development as among the main threats to the region’s forests, which are home to more than 300 wild fruit and nut species including apple, plum, cherry, apricot and walnut. Antonia Eastwood, the lead author of the research, described the region as a “unique global hotspot of diversity”. “A lot of these species are only found in this area,” she told BBC News. “It’s very mountainous and dry, so many of these species have a great deal of tolerance to cold and drought. “A lot of our domestic fruit supply comes from a very narrow genetic base,” she continued. “Given the threats posed to food supplies by disease and the changing climate, we may need to go back to these species and include them in breeding programmes.” …
