Native Tree Species are Under Threat

 

Mexico is one of the most floristically rich countries in the world.  Knowledge of its plant diversity,  geographic distribution, and human uses is still largely fragmented.  Unfortunately, deforestation is heavily impacting this country and native tree species are under threat.  To counter the forest loss, some large-scale reforestation programs have been activated in the past few decades.

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Mexico has at least 2,885 native tree species (and 3,500 species according to the last updates).  And
approximately 44% are endemic to the country.  When analyzing species richness, the southern part of the country showed the highest values, with at least one peak of >400 species per 625 km2 cell in the states of Veracruz and Chiapas and values >300 species per cell in Jalisco, Oaxaca, Querétaro, and México state.

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All in all, Mexico has ca. 23,000 vascular plants and is the fourth most floristically rich country in the world, after Brazil, China, and Colombia.  Despite the richness of Mexico’s flora, its inventory and mapping are still incomplete.

Read More:

https://peerj.com/articles/9898/