The Red List of Oaks 2020

The Red List of Oaks 2020 provides and analyzes IUCN Red List assessments for the estimated 430 species in the genus Quercus-the most complete and comprehensive global analysis of extinction risk for oaks. The only previous global assessment of oaks was published in 2007 and included just 175 species (~40% of the genus; Oldfield andEastwood, 2007). In 2015, The Morton Arboretum established a partnership with the IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group to assess all oak species by 2020,...
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The Red List of Oaks 2020 provides and analyzes IUCN Red List assessments for the estimated 430 species in the genus Quercus-the most complete and comprehensive global analysis of extinction risk for oaks. The only previous global assessment of oaks was published in 2007 and included just 175 species (~40% of the genus; Oldfield andEastwood, 2007). In 2015, The Morton Arboretum established a partnership with the IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group to assess all oak species by 2020, including reassessments of the species in the 2007 publication, in support of the Global Tree Assessment (GTA) initiative. The Red List of Oaks 2020 finds 112 oak species as threatened with extinction and identifies Mexico/Central America, China/Southeast Asia, and the United States as the regions with the highest number of threatened oaks. This publication establishes a baseline for the state of oaks globally, provides insights on patterns of diversity and threats, and presents a survey of global ex situ collections of oaks. Conservationists, researchers, and oak enthusiasts should use this information to prioritize species and regions for scientifically informed conservation action. Many collaborative conservation programs and initiatives for oaks are already underway around the world, but more effort and resources are urgently needed to reverse the decline in oak populations and alleviate threats. Through informed, integrated, in situ and ex situ conservation action targeted in the global centers of diversity for oaks, these iconic and ecologically important trees can be saved.