Calls to conserve biodiversity hotspots

摘要

Last week's announcement that dozens of new species had been found in remote Indonesia has led to fresh calls to protect biodiversity. A team of scientists from Indonesia, Australia and the United States announced their findings on 7 February, and hope that their eyecatching photos of never-before seen plants and animals will put pressure on Indonesia to take care of its natural bounty. The Foja mountains, an isolated area on the western side of New Guinea, became famous in 1981, when biologist and author Jared Diamond found a long-lost species there, the golden-fronted bowerbird. Scientists funded by the non-profit group Conservation International returned to the region in November. What they discovered as they surveyed 300,000 hectares of pristine forest and 750,000 hectares of nearly untouched land surpassed their expectations.