Scientists race to collect the last seeds from a critically endangered tree before it goes extinct

An aerial view of two men repelling off a cliff side where a tree is being held up by ropes.

One of the world's rarest trees, a cliffside plant with just one known individual left in the wild, may have a new chance at survival after scientists collected hundreds of seeds from the lone survivor's precarious home on Chile's Robinson Crusoe Island.

The tree, Dendroseris neriifolia, is native to the Juan Fernández Islands, a remote chain of volcanic islands about 420 miles (673 kilometers), from mainland Chile. Once found in lowland areas of Robinson Crusoe island, D. neriifolia has been pushed to the brink by habitat loss, erosion, invasive species, grazing animals, fires and historic forest clearing.