Seeing yew for the forest: a call to action for improving conservation and restoration of the European yew (Taxus baccata L.)

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dc.contributor.authorMelanie, Saulnier
dc.contributor.authorNecmi, Aksoy
dc.contributor.authorClaire, Arnold
dc.contributor.authorDalibor, Ballian
dc.contributor.authorTatiana, Bebchuk
dc.contributor.authorSylvain, Burri
dc.contributor.authorJens-Christian, Svenning
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-01T11:39:56Z
dc.date.available2026-07-01T11:39:56Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.departmentDüzce Üniversitesi
dc.description.abstractThe European yew (Taxus baccata L.) is a long-lived conifer of ecological, cultural, and historical importance across Eurasia. Despite its remarkable resilience, wide distribution, and symbolic importance, the species has experienced a long-term decline due to a complex interplay of climatic fluctuations, megafaunal extinctions, human exploitation, and insufficient regeneration. Recent studies in palaeoecology, archaeology, dendroecology, and conservation have revealed a species with greater ecological plasticity and a broader historical distribution than previously assumed. However, many fundamental questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding its biogeographical history, population dynamics, recruitment processes, and the drivers of its decline. This review stems from prior investigations of yew in the French Pyrenees and, more broadly, across Europe. These efforts led to a transdisciplinary seminar and opened a collaboration uniting >30 researchers across Eurasia. By synthesizing a wide array of data and perspectives, the article highlights key knowledge gaps and outlines emerging research priorities. These are organized thematically-past, present, and future-and include 25 questions on the species' ecological niche, life-history strategies, human interactions, genetic resilience, and conservation under global change. The article advocates for a shift towards integrative and long-term conservation strategies that embrace the historical legacies of yew populations, the general ecology of the species along with local ecological context dependence, and the urgency of future threats. By identifying pressing research needs, this review seeks to lay the foundation for new collaborative initiatives and to support evidence-based conservation of this emblematic yet understudied species.
dc.description.sponsorshipFrench National Research Agency [ANR-19-CE03-0011, ANR-11-LABX-0010]; MSHST (EVOC project); GEODE laboratory (TAXUS project); MSHST; GEODE laboratory; University of Derby's Zero Carbon initiative; Zero Carbon QR Seed corn funding [13]; Danish National Research Foundation [DNRF173]; Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) [ANR-19-CE03-0011, ANR-11-LABX-0010] Funding Source: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) -- This research and reflection on yew trees was made possible by numerous research projects funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR-19-CE03-0011 BENDYS project and ANR-11-LABX-0010 LaBex DRIIHM, French programme Investissements d'Avenir) , the MSHST (EVOC project) , and the GEODE laboratory (TAXUS project) . Additionally, we would like to express our gratitude to the MSHST and the GEODE laboratory for their financial support, which facilitated the organization of the seminar on yew trees in October 2023 in Toulouse, culminating in the establishment of this consortium. We would also like to thank local stakeholders (ONF, NEO association, Natural reserves, etc.) who are aware of the importance of yew conservation and who have contributed greatly to the discussion and identification of fundamental issues in forest and protected area management for improving yew conservation. A.N. would like to thank the University of Derby's Zero Carbon initiative for its support, including the Zero Carbon QR Seed corn funding (Autumn 2024, Project #13) . We also consider this work a contribution to the Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) , funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173 to JCS) .
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.tfp.2025.101093
dc.identifier.issn2666-7193
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-7111-1985
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-3495-1360
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-1179-0728
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-3415-0862
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-4890-7790
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-105022597705
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ1
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2025.101093
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12684/23555
dc.identifier.volume23
dc.identifier.wosWOS:001632785800001
dc.identifier.wosqualityQ1
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.ispartofTrees Forests and People
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanı
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.snmzKA_WOS_20260623
dc.subjectConservation
dc.subjectLong-Term History
dc.subjectCurrent Dynamics
dc.subjectEcological Resilience
dc.subjectRestoration Ecology
dc.subjectPriority Research Questions
dc.subjectTaxus Baccata L.
dc.titleSeeing yew for the forest: a call to action for improving conservation and restoration of the European yew (Taxus baccata L.)
dc.typeArticle

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