Deforestation threatens 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Deforestation threatens more than half of all tree species in the Amazon, a new study suggests.

Researchers, whose work was published Friday in the journal Science Advances, studied the status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species, including the Brazil nut and the plants that produce cacao and açaí palm.

By comparing maps of projected deforestation with data collected in the forest, the researchers found that at least 36 percent and up to 57 percent of the Amazon’s tree species should qualify as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the most widely recognized authority on threats to species conservation.

Read The New York Times story - “Deforestation May Threaten Majority of Amazon Tree Species, Study Finds.”