Trees ‘resistant to climate change’

A MAJOR study supported by the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation has discovered a range of trees resistant to climate change.

The discovery could have huge implications on the protection of animals threatened by disappearing habitats around the world, it is argued.

The study, Reforesting for The Climate of Tomorrow, analysed the traits of 25 species of trees and other plants in Borneo’s Kutai National Park, home of the threatened East Bornean orangutans, and found a native palm and a hardwood that are resilient to fire.

The award-winning park helped the ground-breaking research, conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which also discovered seven plants that are likely to be climate-resistant while also being key food sources for the orangutans.

The report advocates positioning the plants alongside the vines that the apes use for moving through the forest but planting programmes need to be in remote areas to avoid human conflict – a key threat to orangutans.

“Increasing drought and fires caused by a warming climate are important emerging threats to species-rich areas such as Kutai National Park,” said Alan Lee, lead author of the study and member of the IUCN SSC Climate Change Specialist Group.

Study co-author Douglas Sheil described it as “a glimmer of hope”.

Biodiversity in the park faces multiple threats including population expansion, hunting, forest clearing for agriculture, coal mining and climate change, according to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation.

The study was funded by Indianapolis Zoo, with Yorkshire Wildlife Park among key collaborators.