More Than 1,200 New Species Found In Amazon
11:44am UK, Tuesday October 26, 2010
Sarah Gordon, Sky News Online
More than 1,200 new species of plants and animals have been discovered in the Amazon over the last decade, including bald parrots and tiger-striped tarantulas.
The South American rainforest has secured its reputation as one of the most diverse places on Earth thanks to the discovery of 637 new plants, 257 fish, 216 amphibians, 55 reptiles, 16 birds and 39 mammals since 1999.
The World Wildlife Fund's Amazon Alive! report details bright red species of catfish that are totally blind, a frog with markings that look like a burst of flames and a colourful parrot with a completely bald head.
A new species of pink river dolphin has been identified in Bolivia, and a tarantula with five "tiger stripes" on its back was found in Brazil.
Sarah Hutchison, WWF-UK forest programme manager for Brazil, said: "The rate of discovery of new species is astounding - and does not even include insect groups where the discoveries are almost too many to count.
"This report shows the incredible diversity of life in the Amazon, and we need urgent and immediate action if it is to survive."
We need to change the way we think about development, and promote conservation at a regional level that provides economic, social, and environmental benefits to people in the region and those within the Amazon’s far-reaching climatic influence.
Francisco Ruiz, leader of WWF’s Living Amazon initiative
While certain parts of the Amazon remain relatively undisturbed, humans are responsible for the destruction of at least 17% of the rainforest over the last 50 years - an area twice the size of Spain.
As well as being one of the most diverse places on Earth, the Amazon stores 90 to 140 billion tonnes of carbon.
Further forest loss and land use change would accelerate global warming significantly.
Sky has partnered with the WWF to help save one billion trees in the Amazon, helping to protect 3m hectares of rainforest.
"We need to change the way we think about development, and promote conservation at a regional level that provides economic, social, and environmental benefits to people in the region and those within the Amazon's far-reaching climatic influence," said Francisco Ruiz, leader of WWF’s Living Amazon initiative.
11:44am UK, Tuesday October 26, 2010
Sarah Gordon, Sky News Online
More than 1,200 new species of plants and animals have been discovered in the Amazon over the last decade, including bald parrots and tiger-striped tarantulas.
The South American rainforest has secured its reputation as one of the most diverse places on Earth thanks to the discovery of 637 new plants, 257 fish, 216 amphibians, 55 reptiles, 16 birds and 39 mammals since 1999.
The World Wildlife Fund's Amazon Alive! report details bright red species of catfish that are totally blind, a frog with markings that look like a burst of flames and a colourful parrot with a completely bald head.
A new species of pink river dolphin has been identified in Bolivia, and a tarantula with five "tiger stripes" on its back was found in Brazil.
Sarah Hutchison, WWF-UK forest programme manager for Brazil, said: "The rate of discovery of new species is astounding - and does not even include insect groups where the discoveries are almost too many to count.
"This report shows the incredible diversity of life in the Amazon, and we need urgent and immediate action if it is to survive."
We need to change the way we think about development, and promote conservation at a regional level that provides economic, social, and environmental benefits to people in the region and those within the Amazon’s far-reaching climatic influence.
Francisco Ruiz, leader of WWF’s Living Amazon initiative
While certain parts of the Amazon remain relatively undisturbed, humans are responsible for the destruction of at least 17% of the rainforest over the last 50 years - an area twice the size of Spain.
As well as being one of the most diverse places on Earth, the Amazon stores 90 to 140 billion tonnes of carbon.
Further forest loss and land use change would accelerate global warming significantly.
Sky has partnered with the WWF to help save one billion trees in the Amazon, helping to protect 3m hectares of rainforest.
"We need to change the way we think about development, and promote conservation at a regional level that provides economic, social, and environmental benefits to people in the region and those within the Amazon's far-reaching climatic influence," said Francisco Ruiz, leader of WWF’s Living Amazon initiative.
Its kinda crazy, it cant get its necessities from the ground so it lures its prey with perfume and i believe traps it with the resin glands and handles business that way.
