Rising sea levels may have killed the last Key Largo tree Cactus in the Florida Keys

South Florida may have seen the first documented local extinction related to climate change in the U.S. A recent study found that the last patch of Key Largo tree cactus declined and died out as sea levels rose.

We discuss the study with George Gann co-author and executive director for the Institute for Regional Conservation, speaking on behalf of a collaborative effort that included Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Florida Park Service.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.