The wild ancestors of common domestic fruit trees are in danger of becoming extinct, scientists have warned.

科学家警告道，平常家养果树的野生品种处于绝迹的危险之中。

Kyrgyzstan's forests are home to the ancestors of domestic apples

Researchers have published a "red list" of threatened species that grow in the forests of Central Asia.

These disease-resistant¹ and climate-tolerant（宽容的，容忍的） fruit trees could play a role in our future food security.

But in the last 50 years, about 90% of the forests have been destroyed, according to conservation charity, Fauna² & Flora³ International.

The Red List of Central Asia identifies 44 tree species in Kyrgyzstan（吉尔吉斯斯坦）, Kazakhstan（哈萨克斯坦）, Uzbekistan（乌兹别克斯坦）, Turkmenistan（土库曼斯坦） and Tajikistan（塔吉克斯坦） as under threat from extinction⁴.

It cites over-exploitation and human development as among the main threats to the region's forests, which are home to more than 300 wild fruit and nut species including apple, plum, cherry, apricot and walnut⁵（胡桃）.

Antonia Eastwood, the lead author of the research, described the region as a "unique global hotspot of diversity".

"A lot of these species are only found in this area," she told BBC News. "It's very mountainous and dry, so many of these species have a great deal of tolerance⁶ to cold and drought.

"A lot of our domestic fruit supply comes from a very narrow genetic⁷ base," she continued. "Given the threats posed to food supplies by disease and the changing climate, we may need to go back to these species and include them in breeding programmes."

Communities in Central Asia are learning to use the forests sustainably

Farming fruit

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are thought to be the ancestral homes of familiar favourites such as Red Delicious and Golden Delicious.

The US Department of Agriculture has already sponsored expeditions to Kazakhstan, during which scientists have collected samples with the aim of expanding the genetic diversity of farm-grown apples.

This type of genetic foraging⁸（觅食）, Dr Eastwood explained, allows domestic lines to be crossed with wild strains, producing varieties more resistant to diseases such as apple scab（苹果黑星病）, a fungus⁹（真菌，霉菌） that can devastate¹⁰（毁坏） crops.

"But these countries lack the resources to conserve¹¹ their valuable trees," added Dr Eastwood.

This year, as part of the the UK Darwin Initiative, Fauna & Flora International is working with scientists in Kyrgyzstan to carry out research on threatened trees and develop methods to harvest the fruit sustainably.

The organisation¹² is training local scientists and involving communities in the planning and managing of their own forests.