With the growing biodiversity crisis comes the need to assess the risk of species extinction and identify and address the root causes of their decline. To halt the loss of vascular plant species in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, we coordinated a project to assess the conservation status of all Endemic (and subendemic) Central African Trees (ECAT). Central Africa, as defined here, includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. We carried out this work in close collaboration with the Central African and Eastern African Plant Red List Authorities under the umbrella of the Global Tree Assessment (the largest initiative in the history of the IUCN Red List process). As such, it is part of a global endeavour involving over 60 organisations coordinated by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).
In this poster, we would like to present the results of the Red List assessments prepared during the project, which led to the publication of our book ' Red List of the endemic and subendemic trees of Central Africa' (free download: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5645166). The data on the 347 Central African trees presented here shows that 221 (64%) of them are at risk of extinction. Of these, 34 (10%) are critically endangered, of which 25 may already be extinct. Agriculture, livestock farming, and logging are the main global threats. Climate change impacts are emerging, and in Central Africa, charcoal production and mining also provide major pressures. Further, this volume provides a useful overview of all Protected Areas (PAs) in the region, with the (sub)endemic tree taxa they contain. Management plans can now be adjusted and improved taking this information into account. Several other recommendations are listed. Focussed action is needed to ensure the survival of threatened tree species, and all organisms (including humans) that depend on them.