Nepal Monitor :: The National Online Journal A Living Himalayas: 353 New Species Discovered

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http://www.nepalmonitor.com/2009/08/a_living_himalayas_3.html

Nepal Monitor :: The National Online Journal
A Living Himalayas: 353 New Species Discovered

A major study by CHRISTIAN THOMPSON finds some 353 new species in the Eastern Himalayas spanning parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, India and Tibet.



At least 353 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas between 1998 and 2008, equating to an average of 35 new species finds every year for the last 10 years. The discoveries include 242 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2 birds and 2 mammals, and at least 61 new invertebrates. The following is the extract from the report published by the World Worldlife Fund:

Executive Summary

The Eastern Himalayas is at the crossroads of two continental plates represented by two biogeographical realms: the lowland Indo-Malayan Realm and to the north, the elevated Palearctic Realm. The meeting of these worlds has created one of the biologically richest areas on Earth.

Spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, North Bengal and Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and southern parts of Tibet, the region includes four Global 200 ecoregions with their critical landscapes of international biological importance. The Himalayas are home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 freshwater fi sh. The region supports high density of the Bengal tiger and is the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhinoceros.

Even today the rugged, and largely inaccessible landscape of the Eastern Himalayas, hides the real extent of the region’s biodiversity, with extraordinary new species continuing to be discovered year-on-year. Between 1998 and 2008, at least 353 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, 35 new species fi nds on average every year for the last 10 years.

The extent of the new species fi nds place the Eastern Himalayas on a par with more wellknown biological hotspots such as Borneo.

This report celebrates these unique and fascinating species discoveries. It also highlights growing pressures on the ecosystems and species as a consequence of unsustainable development in the region. Despite protection efforts, in the last half-century, this area of South Asia has faced a wave of pressures as a result of population growth and the increasing demand for commodities by global and regional markets. The host of threats include forest destruction as a result of unsustainable and illegal logging, agriculture, unsustainable fuel wood collection, overgrazing by domestic livestock, illegal poaching and wildlife trade, mining, pollution, hydropower development, and poorly planned infrastructure. The region is also among the most vulnerable to global climate change, which will amplify the impacts of these threats.

Only 25% of the original habitats in the region remain intact and 163 species that live in the Eastern Himalayas are considered globally threatened.

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[opihimoimoi]

1. KnR :o) Thanks for posting