26 new species discovered

In its "Mysterious Mekong" report, the WWF noted that the new discovery of the brightly-coloured bronzeback snake in Myanmar and Thailand underscores the notion that further exploration is needed in the hilly western parts of Thailand, one of the areas in which this species is found, along with parts of southern Thailand and southern parts of neighbouring Myanmar.

The information was part of the report released today, to mark the World Environment Day. According to the advocacy group, Myanmar was relatively closed to scientific research when the country was under junta rule from 1988 to 2010. Among the species newly described by scientists are 290 plants, 24 fish, 21 amphibians, 28 reptiles, one bird and three mammals. Among the new species found in Myanmar was a dragon fish with "maze-like markings" and a catfish with a flame-shaped "suction cup" on its throat.

Throughout the Greater Mekong region which includes Quangxi and Yunnan provinces in China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, some 367 new species have been discovered. These are not the final sum of the species discovered, though, as some were found in more than one country. They include a skydiving gecko, an eyeless spider and a fish whose sex organ is just behind its mouth.

 

"These species discoveries affirm that the Greater Mekong is truly one of the world's richest and most biologically diverse regions," Michelle Owen, WWF-Myanmar Conservation Programme Manager, told DPA.

"The fact that 26 species were discovered in relatively unexplored Myanmar highlights the urgent need to invest in conservation and ensure biodiversity is considered as part of a sustainable and green development approach," Owen said.

In Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park, which borders Myanmar, researchers found the parachute gecko, named Ptychozoon kaengkrachanense, which extends flaps of skin on its flanks and between its toes to help it glide down from branch to tree trunk. Another newcomer to the list of Southeast Asian species was a giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis), based on the discovery of one individual at a meat market in Laos. In Vietnam, researchers found a tiny, almost transparent, fish (Phallostethus cuulong) that has its sex organs just behind its mouth. "It mates head-to-head," said the WWF report, with the male using its sex organ, or priapium, to hook onto the female.

"I hope that this report inspires people in Myanmar to go into environmental science as a profession. Scientists and communities play a crucial role in discovering new species and there is a great opportunity across the country for more species to be found," Owen told local media.

World Environment Day is observed worldwide today, in light of rising temperature as a result of climate change.

The study by a non-governmental watchdog, the Global Ocean Commission, released on Tuesday in Bonn, Germany showed that by absorbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, the seas avert climate damage worth up to $222 billion (163 billion euros) every year. Fish catches are worth another $16 billion annually. The study was released ahead of two days of ministerial-level talks in Bonn that will seek to remove roadblocks towards a new post-2020 UN climate agreement.

Due to climate change, several countries including Myanmar have seen a rise in natural disasters. World Environment Day has also been observed in Myanmar, initially by international organisations working in the country.

WWF noted that with three of the most pristine large rivers and some of the most extensive intact forest in the region, Myanmar is one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically productive nations on Earth. But as Myanmar opens up politically and economically, it is experiencing many of the same pressures faced by the rest of the Greater Mekong, from deforestation to illegal wildlife trade, sand mining to hydropower.

In his speech to the conference entitled "Third Green Economy, Green Growth Forum" in November, President Thein Sein stressed the conservation of natural resources for future generations.

"We need to place emphasis on continued production and consumption while sustaining natural resources and preserving green environments. We will have to efficiently hand down sustainable natural resources and green lands to the future generations so that they can enjoy these opportunities in their lifetimes," he said.