Fauna and Flora International, UK

The Red List of the Magnoliaceae, published jointly by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI), through the Global Trees Campaign (GTC), identifies 131 wild magnolias as being in danger of extinction, from a global total of 245 species.

The report details the IUCN conservation status of 762 tree species and also includes information on current and potential uses of each species, in the hope that this will help promote sustainable resource management and conservation in the future. Various parts of trees found in the forest are used to make products as diverse as baseball bats, toothpaste, clothing dyes and hammocks and several species have edible parts or medicinal properties.

Rhododendrons are stunning horticultural plants widely cultivated in temperate regions. In the wild they are mainly associated with centres of diversity in the Himalayas and in South East Asia, where they form important components of montane ecosystems. In total over 1000 species are recognised and the genus is subject to ongoing taxonomic debate.

The Red List of Endemic Trees and Shrubs of Ethiopia and Eritrea, published by the Global Trees Campaign in 2005, helps to improve the sparse knowledge of trees in the area. The conservation of tree species in Ethiopia and Eritrea is of particular importance as both countries have some of the highest levels of poverty in the world. This has led to large areas of forest being cleared for agriculture and for use as firewood.

Maples are keystone species in northern temperate forests and are much valued as a source of revenue for products such as maple syrup and timber. As with many other tree species, maples are under threat in the wild primarily as a result of forest degradation and destruction, as well as of climate change. This report presents a review of the conservation status in the wild of maples worldwide.

Great uncertainty typically surrounds decisions and management actions in the conservation of biodiversity and natural resource management, and yet there are risks of serious and irreversible harm for both biodiversity and the humans that rely on it. The Precautionary Principle underlies all international conservation efforts and entails acting to avoid serious or irreversible environmental harm, despite lack of scientific certainty as to the likelihood, magnitude or cause of harm.

The precautionary principle, or precautionary approach, is now widely accepted in environmental law and policy at international and, increasingly, national level. However, the principle remains highly controversial, its meaning contested, its acceptance and implementation inconsistent across sectors and contexts and its impacts unclear.