381 Species Discovered
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Researchers in the Amazon rain forest have discovered 381 new species of organisms after a two-year programme. New discoveries include 216 plants, 93 fish, 32 amphibians, 20 mammals, 19 reptiles and 1 bird.
Great news, right? Well, you shouldn’t, get excited yet- there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that every two days, a new species was found in the Amazon region- meaning that across the world there could be all sorts of species and eco systems that are yet to be discovered. The bad news is that every single species was found in areas that were under threat from human activities such as farming.
Coordinator of the WWF’s Amazon research programme gave a concerned statement with regard to the threat to the wildlife: “All the species that were discovered, all 381, are in areas where humankind is destroying the Amazon. This is very important to us because it links the fact that our economic activities are causing species to go extinct before we even know about them.”
The research programme ended around the same time that the Brazilian government were prohibited from carrying out commercial mining in an area of the rain forest the size of Denmark. Brazilian President, Michel Temer, argued that the mining would boost the economy but the decree was blocked thanks to activists and charities who saw that the mining would do more harm than good to not only the wildlife but the indigenous people of the rain forest.
The WWF reports that two indigenous reservations in which many communities live would be affected by the mining. A report by the organisation stated: “A gold rush in the region could create irreversible damage to these cultures. If the government insisted on opening up these areas for mining without discussing environmental safeguards it will have to deal with an international outcry.”