Hopefully we won't kill off the 139 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region

Stretching 2.6 million square kilometers and including the countries Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the Greater Mekong Region supports significant biodiversity. With its diverse geographic landscape and variety of climactic zones, the area is home to an estimated 20,000 plant species, 1300 species of fish, 1200 bird species, 800 reptile and amphibian species, and 430 species of mammal. Every year, scientists discover new species in this region. In fact, according to the World Wildlife Fund, scientists observed more than 2,000 new species between 1997 and 2014.  90 plants, 23 reptiles, 16 amphibians, 9 fish, and one mammal were discovered in 2014 alone. Among the 139 new species were the soul sucking Dementor Wasp:

Ampulex dementor (Credit: Michael Ohl/Museum fur Naturkunde)

The color-changing thorny frog:

Gracixalus lumarius (Credit: Jodi Rowley / Australian Museum)

The second-longest insect in the world:

Phryganistria Heusii Yentuensis (Credit: Jerome Constant)

The crocodile newt:

Tylototriton shanorum (Credit: Tim Johnson)

and the 10,000th species of reptile:

Cyrtodactylus vilaphongi (Credit: Truong Nguyen)

These new species are part of the amazing biodiversity that is an important part of the lives of the more than 300 million people who call the region home. From the 2.6 million tonnes of fish generated every year by the Mekong to the forests and wetlands that protect towns and cities from mother nature, the Greater Mekong Region provides essential natural resources to nearly 80% of the population of the area. Unfortunately, those same essential resources are in peril:

The Greater Mekong is one of the top five threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world, according to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.  Hydropower developments threaten the integrity of the Mekong river; later this year, construction on the Xayaburi Dam in Laos will block the lower Mekong River for the first time, disrupting the free flow of fish and sediment. Communities downstream have vocally protested against Xayaburi and the impending construction of the Don Sahong dam near the border of Cambodia, one of an additional 11 planned mainstream dams that would irrevocably transform the Mekong. Roads and other planned infrastructure developments through the region’s wilderness areas will fragment habitats and provide access to saola and other endangered species. Climate change only increases the pressures on the landscapes through rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme storms, droughts and floods.

WWF works with governments, businesses, and civil society to create a sustainable future for the Greater Mekong based on healthy, functioning ecosystems. We are spearheading efforts to protect species, helping businesses develop sustainable supply chains, encouraging sustainable forestry and non-timber forest product management, helping communities and governments adapt to climate change, and promoting the sustainable use of freshwater resources.

Scientific exploration has an important role to play in the future of the Mekong region. Fascinating new species like the ones discovered in 2014 can draw more conservation attention to the region, while a thorough understanding of the patterns and distribution of biodiversity can help direct conservation resources to the highest priority areas.

The WWF recognizes that no single solution is sufficient to protect the rich biodiversity of the Greater Mekong Region. Habitat conservation, protection from poachers, smart infrastructure development, maintenance of free-flowing rivers and more-these are important to the future of all the species living in the Mekong (including humans). While there is no single solution to overcoming the threats facing the Greater Mekong Region, there is one important step governments, businesses, and citizens can (and should) take: a commitment to the growth of a green economy:

For the purposes of the Green Economy Initiative, UNEP has developed a working definition of a green economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.

Practically speaking, a green economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes. This development path should maintain, enhance and, where necessary, rebuild natural capital as a critical economic asset and source of public benefits, especially for poor people whose livelihoods and security depend strongly on nature.

The threats facing the Greater Mekong Region are not unique to that area. Thanks to human activities like habitat degradation and destruction, the invasion of non-native species, over-hunting and pollution, species and ecosystems around the world face the threat of destruction. Humans are also responsible for another dire threat to life on this planet: global warming.

“Surveys of the peer-reviewed scientific literature and the opinions of experts consistently show a 97–98% consensus that humans are causing global warming.” –Skeptical Science

Anthropogenic (human-induced) global warming is a planetary health threat. Left unchecked, global warming will cause changes in the pattern of diseases, food and water insecurity, rising sea levels leading to flooding and migration, increased frequency of extreme weather events and more. It is imperative that governments, businesses, and citizens take steps to address, mitigate, and where possible (if possible), reverse the effects of global warming and other environmental problems caused by human activities. We created these problems. We must take immediate action to prevent them from worsening.


Looking for steps you can take to live a greener life? The Worldwatch Institute has some helpful tips.

Want to support the World Wildlife Fund? They take donations.

For a look at some of the other new species found in the Greater Mekong Region, see here or here.

Want to know more about anthropogenic global warming? Check out the United Nations Environment Programme.

Hopefully we won't kill off the 139 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region
{advertisement}

Hopefully we won’t kill off the 139 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region

Stretching 2.6 million square kilometers and including the countries Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the Greater Mekong Region supports significant biodiversity. With its diverse geographic landscape and variety of climactic zones, the area is home to an estimated 20,000 plant species, 1300 species of fish, 1200 bird species, 800 reptile and amphibian species, and 430 species of mammal. Every year, scientists discover new species in this region. In fact, according to the World Wildlife Fund, scientists observed more than 2,000 new species between 1997 and 2014.  90 plants, 23 reptiles, 16 amphibians, 9 fish, and one mammal were discovered in 2014 alone. Among the 139 new species were the soul sucking Dementor Wasp:

Ampulex dementor (Credit: Michael Ohl/Museum fur Naturkunde)

The color-changing thorny frog:

Gracixalus lumarius (Credit: Jodi Rowley / Australian Museum)

The second-longest insect in the world:

Phryganistria Heusii Yentuensis (Credit: Jerome Constant)

The crocodile newt:

Tylototriton shanorum (Credit: Tim Johnson)

and the 10,000th species of reptile:

Cyrtodactylus vilaphongi (Credit: Truong Nguyen)

These new species are part of the amazing biodiversity that is an important part of the lives of the more than 300 million people who call the region home. From the 2.6 million tonnes of fish generated every year by the Mekong to the forests and wetlands that protect towns and cities from mother nature, the Greater Mekong Region provides essential natural resources to nearly 80% of the population of the area. Unfortunately, those same essential resources are in peril:

The Greater Mekong is one of the top five threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world, according to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.  Hydropower developments threaten the integrity of the Mekong river; later this year, construction on the Xayaburi Dam in Laos will block the lower Mekong River for the first time, disrupting the free flow of fish and sediment. Communities downstream have vocally protested against Xayaburi and the impending construction of the Don Sahong dam near the border of Cambodia, one of an additional 11 planned mainstream dams that would irrevocably transform the Mekong. Roads and other planned infrastructure developments through the region’s wilderness areas will fragment habitats and provide access to saola and other endangered species. Climate change only increases the pressures on the landscapes through rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme storms, droughts and floods.

WWF works with governments, businesses, and civil society to create a sustainable future for the Greater Mekong based on healthy, functioning ecosystems. We are spearheading efforts to protect species, helping businesses develop sustainable supply chains, encouraging sustainable forestry and non-timber forest product management, helping communities and governments adapt to climate change, and promoting the sustainable use of freshwater resources.

Scientific exploration has an important role to play in the future of the Mekong region. Fascinating new species like the ones discovered in 2014 can draw more conservation attention to the region, while a thorough understanding of the patterns and distribution of biodiversity can help direct conservation resources to the highest priority areas.

The WWF recognizes that no single solution is sufficient to protect the rich biodiversity of the Greater Mekong Region. Habitat conservation, protection from poachers, smart infrastructure development, maintenance of free-flowing rivers and more-these are important to the future of all the species living in the Mekong (including humans). While there is no single solution to overcoming the threats facing the Greater Mekong Region, there is one important step governments, businesses, and citizens can (and should) take: a commitment to the growth of a green economy:

For the purposes of the Green Economy Initiative, UNEP has developed a working definition of a green economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.

Practically speaking, a green economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes. This development path should maintain, enhance and, where necessary, rebuild natural capital as a critical economic asset and source of public benefits, especially for poor people whose livelihoods and security depend strongly on nature.

The threats facing the Greater Mekong Region are not unique to that area. Thanks to human activities like habitat degradation and destruction, the invasion of non-native species, over-hunting and pollution, species and ecosystems around the world face the threat of destruction. Humans are also responsible for another dire threat to life on this planet: global warming.

“Surveys of the peer-reviewed scientific literature and the opinions of experts consistently show a 97–98% consensus that humans are causing global warming.” –Skeptical Science

Anthropogenic (human-induced) global warming is a planetary health threat. Left unchecked, global warming will cause changes in the pattern of diseases, food and water insecurity, rising sea levels leading to flooding and migration, increased frequency of extreme weather events and more. It is imperative that governments, businesses, and citizens take steps to address, mitigate, and where possible (if possible), reverse the effects of global warming and other environmental problems caused by human activities. We created these problems. We must take immediate action to prevent them from worsening.


Looking for steps you can take to live a greener life? The Worldwatch Institute has some helpful tips.

Want to support the World Wildlife Fund? They take donations.

For a look at some of the other new species found in the Greater Mekong Region, see here or here.

Want to know more about anthropogenic global warming? Check out the United Nations Environment Programme.

Hopefully we won’t kill off the 139 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region

The Best of Humanity: Restoration

An ecosystem is deforested.  For housing. For urbanization. Cash crops. Farming. Among the many results: light pollution.  Frugivorous  bats are slow to return to the affected areas.  The bats enjoy fruit, and defecate while flying.  Their feces result in ‘seed rain’-part of a cycle by which new fruit can be produced.  The deforestation causes more sunlight to reach the affected areas, and the bats are light sensitive; less able to feed in well lit areas.

Humanity often has a negative effect upon the environment.  Often, but not always.  There are times when humans give back. When they demonstrate care for the world around them.  When they make the decision not to destroy, but to restore.

Nestled in Northeast India next to the Brahmaputra River sits Majuli Island, a giant sandbar that happens to be the largest river island on Earth, home to some 150,000 people. It is also the location of the 1,360 acre Molai Forest, one of the most unusual woodlands in the world for the incredible fact that it was planted by a single man. Since 1979, forestry worker Jadav Payeng has dedicated his life to planting trees on the island, creating a forest that has surpassed the scale of New York’s Central Park.

While home to such a large population, rapidly increasing erosion over the last 100 years has reduced the land mass of Majuli Island to less than half. Spurred by the dire situation, Payeng transformed himself into a modern day Johnny Appleseed and singlehandedly planted thousands upon thousands of plants, including 300 hectares of bamboo.

Payeng’s work has been credited with significantly fortifying the island, while providing a habitat for several endangered animals which have returned to the area; a herd of nearly 100 elephants (which has now given birth to an additional ten), Bengal tigers, and a species of vulture that hasn’t been seen on the island in over 40 years. Gives you more than a little hope for the world, doesn’t it?

 

 

The Best of Humanity: Restoration