[OGD] species (New Guinea)

"Newly Discovered species of New Guinea (1998 ? 2008) shows that 218 new 
kinds of plants - close to 100 of which are orchids - ...  have been found 
on the tropical island over a ten year period.
...
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.
...
This... 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.
...
Scientists found an average of two new species each week from 1998 ? 2008...

WWF scientists added to the known orchid diversity found on the island, 
collecting hundreds [some 300] of orchids in PNG?s Kikori region.
Eight of these were new to science, including... Dendrobium spectabile...

Despite its remote location, New Guinea?s natural habitats are being lost...
The island?s forests are facing serious threats including logging, mining, 
wildlife trade and conversion to agriculture, particularly oil palm....

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...

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.
...
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...
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 Net 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... 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... Schmitt."

URL: 
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?200766/More-than-1000-new-species-found-in-New-Guinea

*******************
Regards,

VB

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