Fruit heartland threatened

It has only recently been discovered that the likely origin of some of the world's most important fruit crops, such as apples, apricots and walnuts, lie in a small region of forests in central Asia. The region is home to more than 300 wild fruit and nut species but this unique genetic resource is under major threat, according to a new report which estimated that 90 per cent of this woodland has been destroyed over the past 50 years. The original apple, apricot and walnut are amongst 50 species now considered endangered in a report by the charity Flora and Fauna International (FFI) in collaboration with Botanic Gardens Conservation International. The Red List* of trees in central Asia identifies 44 tree species in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan as threatened with extinction. Notable among them is Kazakhstan's wild apple, Malus sieversii, which researchers at the University of Oxford recently concluded to be the ancestor of all apple varieties in cultivation today. It is thought that as the wild apples were bred and crossed they gradually spread west along the Silk Road, the trading highway that linked Europe with Asia. This process was also thought to have happened with the wild apricot, Armanica vulgaris, from which all current varieties stem. The Red List identifies over-exploitation, human development, pests and diseases, overgrazing, desertification and fires as the main threat to forests in the region, while Features a lack of financial resources and infrastructure since the break-up of the Soviet Union has also had a negative impact. Owing to the often fragmented, mountainous geography of the landscape, the genetic diversity these plants display is exceptionally high and could prove vital in the development of new disease-resistant or climate-tolerant fruit varieties. FFI is already working in Kyrgyzstan to save and restore one of the most highly threatened apple species, Malus niedzwetkyana, as part of its global trees campaign. Only 111 individuals of this species are known to survive in Kyrgyzstan and the species features on the Red List as 'endangered' — the second highest category of threat. FFI is also working with local communities and government forest services in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to encourage sustainable use and Many fruit tree species in a recently discovered Asian garden of Eden are increasingly endangered. Nigel Williams reports. Asian roots: Many fruit varieties on sale worldwide, as in this market in Inverness Street, north London, owe …