How Many Types of Trees Grow in the Amazon? (Hint: It's A LOT)

The new tally is the first time anyone has tried to accurately count how many species of trees live in the Amazon, the most diverse place for trees on Earth, the researchers said. "The Amazon is a truly rich place in terms of biodiversity," said the study's lead researcher, Hans ter Steege, a senior research fellow at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands. In 2013, ter Steege and his colleagues estimated that there were approximately 16,000 tree species living in the Amazon.