Garden of Eden found.......

[ScottC]

Well not quite, but scientists have found an untouched land deep in the Indonesian jungle where dozens of new species of animals have been found including a lost bird of paradise! It has been described as the closest thing to the Garden of Eden on Earth.



Some of the main discoveries:

A new species of honeyeater, the first new bird species discovered on the island of New Guinea since 1939

The formerly unknown breeding grounds of a "lost" bird of paradise - the six-wired bird of paradise (Parotia berlepschi)

First photographs of the golden-fronted bowerbird displaying at its bower.

A new large mammal for Indonesia, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus)

More than 20 new species of frogs, including a tiny microhylid frog less than 14mm long

A series of previously undescribed plant species, including five new species of palms

A remarkable white-flowered rhododendron with flower about 15cm across

Four new butterfly species.

Read more here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4688000.stm



Interesting stuff!

 

[tomtom]

those guys and girls are so lucky.. they have the best jobs in the world IMO

 

[Ed]

Cheers for the link scott.... very interesting


Ed

 

[george]

Interesting link.

I worked out there for a while in the early nineties and was on a couple of scientific expeditions, (my wife is a tropical botanist to trade).

The thing is that the place is so large and so sparsly populated and so little explored by modern scientists, as well as being so difficult to get to that any scientists going in there are going to make new discoveries, or at least record species that haven't been seen there before.

There are still thousands of species that haven't been described yet officially - especially amongst insects and plants and I've no doubt that ther will be "new" discoveries of mammals too.

In one area I was in, some locals described to me what sounded very like a thylacine wolf - which in theory has been extinct since the early 20th century. I'm convinced that they still exist out there.

George

 

[Lithril]

Cheers for that Scott, actually its going to come in quite handy tomorrow when I get a class of year nine pupils to research arguements for and against development of rain forests etc.

Feel free to provide any other gems like that

 

[Ahjno]

I read in the newspaper the native inhabitants (as far they are there), don't come to close to the mountains in that region. This is because they believe there are ghosts (don't remember if it are "just" ghosts, or it's a place their ancestors resident).

Expeditions to that area are very expensive, due to political isolation / situation, the laying of the area (isolated) and height and weather conditions. Helicopters can't land due to the weather and an expedition over land just takes too long.
Probably something to do with supplies ... Now, am I the only one who foresees a job / task for bushcrafters, or what??
Local people won't go up there and scientists don't have the knowledge to live from the land ... so if you add an area trained bushcrafter ... Just a thought.

I really like the look of that bird with that bright yellow feathered comb (?) on its head! (Can't find a digi pic on the newswebsites of it at the moment)

 

[RovingArcher]

So much for untouched land eh? Why is it that man has to ruin everything that he comes into contact with. I mean, they find a beautiful and untouched piece of GODs Earth and then dissect it and announce it to the world so they can go into the area and stomp around. All for self importance, no doubt.

 

[bothyman]

So now they have found it how long will it stay like that ??



MickT

 

[ScottC]

From what I have learned the locals revere it as some sort of holy place and guard it fiercely, it took 7 odd years for them to get permission for the expedition and a lot of money. It is entirely remote and near impossible to get there without a helicopter, there are no trails, roads or any signs of any human habitation recently or indeed ever. I believe they are trying to get permission to go back in September but considering it's importance I don't think it is going to be opened up as a tourist destination. I think such scientific discoveries are important, especially as many new species of plant have been found which could have remedial properties so it is vital that they are investigated to see if they can cure diseases etc.
If anything this is an example of why the rainforest must be preserved.

 

[Galemys]

I really like the look of that bird with that bright yellow feathered comb (?) on its head! (Can't find a digi pic on the newswebsites of it at the moment)

Johan,

here is a link for you with a beautiful picture of a beautiful bird (see slide show):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/07/science/07spec.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

this bird is also an engineer & artist (as most bowerbirds), on the left of the picture you can see part of it's "bower". Bowerbird males use them to impress the ladies (instead of song & dance as most other birds do). They make them out of sticks & twigs and adorn them with colourful items (berries, beetle wings, snake shells etc.)

Here's a bowerbird link:
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/0302/0302_feature.html

Tom

 

[Salix]

Oh deer

better kiss that goodbye then...........................................

who backed the exporation, investors from big mineral/biotech companies nodoubt!

 

[Hawthorn]

Lets not be too hasty to judge, the more research done there on new species, the more likely it will be marked as an area of natural beauty and left relatively in peace.

Thats my hope, at least

 

[philaw]

In my usual style, this is barely relevent at all, but... ....I was in the shanghai museum a few days ago, and was truly astonished by some of the oldest exhibits. The stone carved things from 6,000bc(!) were truly amazing, and they had the most unbelievable bronze wine cups and food vessels from 2-3,000bc, including some a metre high with hinged lids and animal decorations like delicate miniature castings of water buffalo on top of them. The descriptions said that they used a sophisticated multi-stage casting process to get all of the details. I really felt like I was looking back on the dawn of civilisation and felt a similar sense of wonder to that I feel of what ScottC is talking about. To look back on where you came from, and see things that ought not to still be around is very special.