CLIMATE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Southeast Asia Holds Most Threatened Oak Species, Urgent Conservation Needed
WHY IT MATTERS
The findings highlight a critical biodiversity hotspot that is often overlooked, underscoring the need for immediate action to protect oak species that are essential to regional ecosystems and global conservation efforts.
What happened
A new report reveals that Southeast and East Asia contain the largest number of threatened oak species worldwide, with 172 of 430 global species found in the region. Researchers examined 54 oak species across Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Timor‑Leste, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, finding that 46 of them face very high or high human pressure in more than half of their range as of 2024.
The primary drivers are expanding agriculture—especially wood and pulp plantations—and oil palm and rubber cultivation. Additional threats include small population sizes, infrastructure and urban development, and climate change.
Conservation recommendations emphasize collecting and propagating acorns to preserve these vulnerable trees.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Southeast Asia is a hotspot for oak trees, many under ‘dire threat’
Mongabay · Isabel Esterman · Discovery and factual synthesis only; publisher copyright terms apply