Miners and Conservatonists Discover 24 New Rainforest Species

To make the case for improved conservation practices, scientists from Conservation International (CI) and partner institutions are presenting a report to government officials that details eastern Suriname’s invaluable biodiversity. The report documents the results of a 2005 expedition and 2006 follow-up survey, led by CI’s Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), during which researchers found 24 species previously unknown to science.

A frog with florescent purple markings (Atelopus spp.) and other amphibians, fish, and insects are among the newly discovered species.

"This is a totally unexplored area: lots of new species, with many more still to be found," says Leeanne Alonso, CI vice president and head of the RAP program. "Our study will be a vital component in determining how to promote economic development in Suriname while protecting the nation’s most valuable natural assets."...

... Suriname and its neighbors on the Guayana Shield
are home to the largest expanse of undisturbed tropical rain forest on
the planet. Nearly 20 percent of the world's water runs through the
region.

Still, Suriname’s pristine forests are increasingly threatened by small-scale, illegal gold mining...

...The expedition team recorded a total of 467 species. Among them,
scientists documented 27 species that live nowhere else on Earth. They
also rediscovered a rare armored catfish (Harttiella crassicauda) that was thought to be extinct and had not been seen for more than 50 years....

...The report’s assessment of Suriname's biodiversity could also provide
more reason to keep the Amazon rain forest intact for the benefit of
both global water resources and the global climate. Preventing
deforestation in the Amazon is important in minimizing the effects of climate change, as cutting and burning tropical forests contributes to 20 percent of the world's carbon emissions.