"A species of Himalayan yew tree that is used to produce Taxol, a chemotherapy drug to treat cancer, is being pushed to the brink of extinction by over-harvesting for medicinal use and collection for fuel, scientists warned on Thursday."
"The medicinal tree, Taxus contorta, found in Afghanistan, India and Nepal, has seen its conservation status change from 'vulnerable' to 'endangered' on the IUCN's annual 'red list' of threatened species.
Taxol was discovered by a US National Cancer Institute programme in the late 1960s, isolated in the bark of the Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia. All 11 species of yew have since been found to contain Taxol. 'The harvesting of the bark kills the trees, but it is possible to extract Taxol from clippings, so harvesting, if properly controlled, can be less detrimental to the plants,' said Craig Hilton-Taylor, IUCN red list unit manager."
Hanna Gersmann and Jessica Aldred report for The Guardian November 9, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Rhino Subspecies Vanishing From the Wild" (AP)
"Taxol Chemotherapy Tree Now Endangered, Black Rhino Extinct" (ENS)
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