The WWF charity has reported that the Eastern Himalayas is a vertiable treasure trove of biological diversity, with more than 350 new species discovered in the last decade. These new species including 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2 birds, 2 mammals and at least 60 new invertebrates.The region, which is already home to a staggering 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish, is now under threat from climate change.
Among the many discoveries is a bright green frog called a Rhacophorus Suffry, which uses its long webbed feet to glide in the air, and a miniature muntjac, aka the ‘leaf deer’, which is the world’s oldest and smallest deer species. Also discovered in an amber mine excavated in the Hukawng Valley was a 100 million year old gecko fossil, the oldest fossil gecko species known to science.
WWF’s conservation science advisor, Mark Wright, said –
These exciting finds reinforce just how little we now about the world around us. In the Eastern Himalayas we have a region of extraordinary beauty and with some of the most biologically rich areas on the planet. Ironically, it is also one of the regions most at risk from climate change, as evidenced by the rapid retreat of the glaciers, and only time will tell how well species will be able to adapt – if at all. There is no room for compromise on this issue; without these cuts the Himalayas face a precarious future – impacting both the unique wildlife and the 20% of humanity who rely on the river systems that arise in these mountains.
This area of unique biological diversity is of hug global importance as it is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.The wildlife charities campaign ‘Climate for Life’ is to focus the plight of the Himalayas to the world and work with the local community to help them deal with the impacts of climate change. The region is also home to the Bengal tiger and the greater one-horned rhino, with both species seriously under threat from climate change.
