01-13-2020, 03:17 PM
Five species and five subspecies found in Indonesia in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century
Ten new songbird species and subspecies have been identified on a trio of previously under-explored Indonesian islands in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century, according to a new study.
Hidden away on the remote Wallacean islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka, close to where British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the theory of evolution to Charles Darwin, five new bird species and five subspecies were detected during a six-week expedition to the area, off the coast of Sulawesi.
Although the new species and subspecies have only just been formally identified, researchers warned that rampant forest destruction on the islands caused by logging and forest fires driven by the climate crisis threatens the survival of the birds.
“It’s a real surprise to see that in the 21st century there’s still a place on Earth, a relatively limited area, where there are five new subspecies and five news species of birds to be found,” said Prof Rheindt. “It goes to show that there are still many areas on Earth that are underexplored.
“In this era of environmental crisis, the year 2019 has shown that we have entered a critical stage. We will lose a lot of biodiversity in the future and we have limited resources to conserve what we have. How are we to conserve our biodiversity if we don’t know where it is? We really need a new push for biodiversity discovery and I hope that this study will provide the impetus for that.”
Ten new songbird species and subspecies have been identified on a trio of previously under-explored Indonesian islands in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century, according to a new study.
Hidden away on the remote Wallacean islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka, close to where British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the theory of evolution to Charles Darwin, five new bird species and five subspecies were detected during a six-week expedition to the area, off the coast of Sulawesi.
Although the new species and subspecies have only just been formally identified, researchers warned that rampant forest destruction on the islands caused by logging and forest fires driven by the climate crisis threatens the survival of the birds.
“It’s a real surprise to see that in the 21st century there’s still a place on Earth, a relatively limited area, where there are five new subspecies and five news species of birds to be found,” said Prof Rheindt. “It goes to show that there are still many areas on Earth that are underexplored.
“In this era of environmental crisis, the year 2019 has shown that we have entered a critical stage. We will lose a lot of biodiversity in the future and we have limited resources to conserve what we have. How are we to conserve our biodiversity if we don’t know where it is? We really need a new push for biodiversity discovery and I hope that this study will provide the impetus for that.”
