The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated their “Red List.” Formed in 1948, the IUCN has been renamed a few times but their red list has continued as a “Barometer of Life.”
While the world’s attention is frequently focused on charismatics like monarchs, bees, birds and other species the organization said, “Europe's perennial woods are more threatened than its reptiles, mammals, birds, bees and butterflies.” Almost half of Europe’s shrubs are also threatened.
“Tree species in the Sorbus genus, which includes the Crimean Rowan (Sorbus tauricola) and Mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia subsp. maderensis), are particularly affected, with three-quarters of Europe’s 170 Sorbus species assessed as threatened.”
“The iconic horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) has been assessed as “vulnerable” following declines caused by the leaf-miner moth (Cameraria ohridella). The leaf-miner moth, an invasive species which originated in isolated, mountainous regions of the Balkans, has since invaded the rest of Europe. It damages horse-chestnut tree leaves, adding to pressures from logging, forest fires and tourism.”
On Sept 27th they announced, “Over half (58 per cent) of Europe’s endemic trees are threatened with extinction, according to assessments of the state of the continent’s biodiversity published today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Invasive species and urban development were listed among the key threats.”