Southeast and East Asia are global biodiversity hotspots for oak (genus Quercus) species diversity, with more than 170 species within this region. Despite this remarkable diversity, little is known regarding population size, distribution, or threats for many species. There is an urgent need to coordinate and prioritize conservation actions for both wild populations and living collections in botanic gardens.
To assess the status and to prioritize conservation of oaks in this region, The Morton Arboretum’s Global Tree Conservation Program and its collaborators produced the Conservation Gap Analysis of Select Native Asian Oaks. The report focuses on 54 oaks native to Southeast and East Asia listed as threatened or Data Deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Despite its status as an oak biodiversity hotspot, this type of analysis has never been performed for oaks in Southeast and East Asia.
The purpose of this conservation gap analysis is to help coordinate and prioritize conservation action to protect Southeast and East Asian oaks for both in situ populations (those found in native ecosystems) and ex situ populations (those found in managed collections, such as public gardens).
For each target species, researchers characterized native distribution, protected area coverage, and conservation value of ex situ collections, as well as past, present, and future threats to wild populations. In addition, this analysis includes in-depth species profiles for eight threatened species throughout the region that summarize distribution and threats, as well as ex situ and in situ conservation status and needs.
The results of the analysis highlight the urgent need to expand survey work and exploration, increase protected area coverage for threatened species, and increase representation of oak species in ex situ collections, especially within their native range.
The study area includes Viet Nam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
