'Living fossil' tree frozen in time for 66 million years being planted in secret locations
'Living fossil' tree frozen in time for 66 million years being planted in secret locations
Wollemi pines — thought to have gone extinct 2 million years ago — were rediscovered in 1994. Scientists are now hoping to reintroduce the species in the wild in a conservation effort that could take centuries.
If you are in London, you can see a nice specimen at Kew Gardens
What I didn't glean from this article was "why". Is there an expected benefit to the ecosystems these are being reintroduced to? Is it simple "more biodiversity is better"? Is it like Jurassic Park and just because we can?
Their primary two threats are drought and wildfire, not things that we're expecting to lessen any time soon. What's the purpose of introducing a species to a climate they're not suited to?
And I'm not asking facetiously, if someone has genuine answers, I'm interested.