Posted on 27 June 2011
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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - A remarkable
1,060 new species have been discovered the
island of New Guinea from 1998 to 2008,
but poorly planned and unsustainable development
- particularly from logging and forest conversion
to agriculture - is putting many of these
unique creatures at risk, a new WWF study
finds.
Final Frontier: Newly Discovered species
of New Guinea (1998 – 2008) shows that 218
new kinds of plants - close to 100 of which
are orchids - 43 reptiles and 12 mammals,
including a unique
snub-fin dolphin, have been found on the
tropical island over a ten year period.
Added to the tally is
an astounding 580 invertebrates and 134
amphibians, 2 birds and 71 fish, among them
an extremely rare 2.5m long river shark.
“This report shows that
New Guinea’s forests and rivers are among
the richest and most biodiverse in the world.
But it also shows us that unchecked human
demand can push even the wealthiest environments
to bankruptcy,” says Dr. Neil Stronach,
WWF Western Melanesia’s Program Representative.
Untouched rainforest
New Guinea is the largest tropical island
on Earth and is divided between the countries
of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the East and
Indonesia in the West. It contains the third
largest tract of rainforest in the world
after the Amazon and the Congo.
View WWF Critical Regions of the World in
a larger map
This mysterious island covers less than
0.5 per cent of the Earth’s landmass but
shelters 6 to 8 per cent of the world’s
species. Over two thirds of these species
are found nowhere else on earth.
It is also home to Asia’s
most pristine rivers and wetlands. Its natural
gifts also extend to the reefs surrounding
New Guinea, in the heart of the Coral Triangle,
which have the world’s highest concentration
of coral and reef fish.
“If you look at New
Guinea in terms of biological diversity,
it is much more like a continent than an
island,” says Dr. Stronach. “Scientists
found an average of two new species each
week from 1998 – 2008 – nearly unheard of
in this day and age,” he says.
No fewer than seven
brightly colored new species of rainbow
fish were identified in PNG and Papua in
Indonesia over the ten-year period, including
Allen’s rainbow fish (Chilatherina alleni).
WWF scientists added to the known orchid
diversity found on the island, collecting
hundreds of orchids in PNG’s Kikori region.
Eight of these were new to science, including
the ornate and exquisite firework-like display
of the Dendrobium spectabile orchid.
Alarming rate of forest
loss
“Despite its remote location, New Guinea’s
natural habitats are being lost at an alarming
rate. The island’s forests are facing serious
threats including logging, mining, wildlife
trade and conversion to agriculture, particularly
oil palm,” says Dr. Eric Verheij, Conservation
Director, WWF Western Melanesia.
In PNG between 1972 and 2002, independent
studies have shown that 24 per cent of rainforests
were cleared or degraded through logging
or subsistence agriculture.
The same studies point
out that the forest clearance rate for forests
accessible to industrial logging is up to
3.4 per cent annually, much higher than
previously reported.
China buys close to
82 per cent of PNG’s timber exports each
year, representing a total volume of over
two million cubic meters. Studies suggest
70 per cent of this logging is illegal.
Demand for palm oil
is also destroying many of New Guinea’s
most valuable rainforests. Large forest
areas on the island (and across the region)
are being cleared for oil palm monocultures,
destroying critical habitat for many endangered
species. The destruction of these forests,
which are usually cleared by burning releases
huge amounts of greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere and accelerates climate change.
However, many oil palm
producers in New Guinea and around the world
are pursing certification through the Roundtable
on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the world’s
most credible sustainable palm oil initiative.
Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) guarantees
that social and environmental safeguards
have been met during production. And importantly,
CSPO also assures that high conservation
value forests haven’t been cleared.
Based on the first chapter
of WWF’s new Living Forests Report, more
than 230 million hectares of forest will
disappear around the world by 2050 if no
action is taken. The report proposes that
policymakers and businesses unite around
a goal of Zero Nett Deforestation and Degradation
(ZNDD) by 2020 as a global benchmark to
avoid dangerous climate change and curb
biodiversity loss.
“As a region with high rates of poverty,
it is absolutely essential that New Guinea’s
precious reefs, rainforests, and wetlands
are not plundered but managed sustainably
for future generations,” says Dr Susanne
Schmitt, New Guinea Programme Manager at
WWF-UK.
“Environmental protection and economic development
must go together to ensure the survival
of New Guinea’s unique species and natural
habitats,” added Dr. Schmitt.
