Asia’s Greater Mekong revealed as treasure trove of new species
15 December 2008
The world’s largest huntsman spider, a rat believed to have become extinct 11 million years ago, and a hot pink cyanide-producing dragon millipede.
These are just three of the 1,068 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region of South-east Asia between 1997 and 2007 – equivalent to two findings a week – according to WWF’s report First Contact in the Greater Mekong.
While most species were discovered in the largely unexplored jungles and wetlands, some were first found in more surprising places. The Laotian rock rat, for example, thought to have been extinct for 11 million years, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market, while the Siamese Peninsula pitviper snake was found slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.
Conservation priority
“We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books,” said Stuart Chapman, Director of WWF’s Greater Mekong programme. “This reaffirms the Greater Mekong’s place on the world map of conservation priorities.”
The region comprises the six countries through which the Greater Mekong river flows – Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and China’s Yunnan province. The discoveries include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad. It is estimated thousands of new invertebrate species were also discovered during this period, further highlighting the region’s immense biodiversity.
Cross-border agreement
WWF works with research institutions in the region. The research has resulted in the discovery of these new species. WWF also works with governments and industry of the six Greater Mekong nations to conserve and sustainably manage 600,000 sq km of transboundary forest and freshwater habitats.
“To help protect the biological diversity of the region while also providing for livelihoods and alleviating poverty, economic development and environmental protection must go hand in hand,” added Chapman. “What is urgently needed is a formal, cross-border agreement by the governments of Greater Mekong”.
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