Over 1,000 New Species Discovered in Mekong Basin in Past Decade

A cyanide-laced, bright pink millipede and a rat thought to have become extinct 11 million years ago are among the 1,068 new species have been discovered in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong region alone in the past decade, according to a new report released by the World Wildlife Fund.

The Mekong Basin is being called a “biological treasure trove” after the findings of new species that include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four birds, four turtles, two salamanders and a toad. That’s an average of two new species discovered every week.

From Yahoo News:

The WWF report, “First Contact in the Greater Mekong”, said that “between 1997 and 2007, at least 1,068 have been officially described by science as being newly discovered species.”

These included the world’s largest huntsman spider, with a leg span of 30 centimetres (11.8 inches), and the “startlingly” coloured “dragon millipede”, which produces the deadly compound cyanide.

Not all species were found hiding in remote jungles — the Laotian rock rat, which the study said was thought to be extinct about 11 million years ago, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market in 2005, it said.

One species of pitviper was first noted by scientists after it was found in the rafters of a restaurant at the headquarters of Thailand’s Khao Yai national park in 2001.

“This region is like what I read about as a child in the stories of Charles Darwin,” said Dr Thomas Ziegler, curator at the Cologne Zoo, who was involved in the research.

Isn’t it amazing how, despite the fact that we humans have taken over this earth like a plague and displaced so many creatures, that there are still so many we’ve never even seen? The diversity of the life on this planet is truly awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, though, scientists say many of these newly discovered species are at risk due to development. The WWF has called for a cross-border agreement between the countries in the Greater Mekong area to protect it, and we fervently hope that it becomes reality.

Link [Yahoo News]
Photo credit: WWF

WTF WWF: World Wildlife Fund Shuttles Funders Around The World in Private Jet

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has long been known for their dedication to the conservation of species across the world, working hard to ‘protect the future of nature’. The organization has spent the past 45 years working in 100 countries toward preserving the diversity and abundance of life.  That’s why it makes absolutely no sense that the WWF is ferrying uber-rich donors around the world on a private jet that will spew tons of carbon into the air during the 25-day journey (which costs a whopping $64,950 per person).

From the WWF website:

Join us on a remarkable 25-day journey by private jet. Touch down in some of the most astonishing places on the planet to see the top wildlife, including gorillas, orangutans, rhinos, lemurs and toucans. Explore natural and cultural treasures in remote areas of South America, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia and Africa.

To reach these remote corners, travel on a specially outfitted private jet that carries 88 passengers. World-class experts – including WWF’s director of species conservation – will provide a series of lectures en route, and a professional staff will be devoted to making your global adventure seamless and memorable.

Come on, WWF. Surely you can secure funding without going against one of your very own goals: “promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution.”  One is forced to ask, how can you fly people around on a private jet and still use resources efficiently and reduce pollution? You can’t.

The WWF’s website details the plight of endangered animals around the world, and the fact that each year, 25 million acres of forest are slashed and burned.  The organization entreats us to help them preserve the natural world, so this whole private jet thing reeks of hypocrisy. Sad, because it undermines all of the good work WWF has done. FAIL!

Link [WWF] via [Wired]

Does Money Make Your World Go Round?

It’s time to put the “eco” back into economics! Check out this cool video about money and the environment from the World Wildlife Fund in Brazil.

WWF Lets Out Its Inner Professional Wrestler: Panda Bear Mayhem Ensues

OMFGFSMBBQ, I love this on so many levels.

Stumbled Upon at [Apina.biz]

Explain This Away, Skeptics: Arctic Ice Melting Faster Than We Feared

The conservation group WWF has found that arctic ice is melting even faster than previously thought. The recent acceleration of melting in the Greenland Ice Sheet wasn’t accurately predicted by experts, who are now shocked at the gravity of the situation.

From Reuters:

The Greenland Ice Sheet — with an ice volume of about 2.9 million cubic kilometers — is shrinking at a fast pace and “could contribute much more than previously estimated to global sea-level rise during the 21st century,” the WWF said.

It also said that Arctic warming has reduced both the area and thickness of the northern region’s multi-year sea ice, making it more prone to summer thaw.

Many climate change scientists have inadequately considered the drivers of such trends, such as interactions between sea ice thickness and water temperature, according to WWF.

What this means to us is simple: further heating of the Earth. The WWF has said that climate change in the arctic is already dramatically affecting ecology in the region and has called on arctic nations such as Russia, Norway and Canada to start working together for real change.

This is bad, bad news. But before we get all serious and mull over the weight of this situation and what it means for our planet’s future, I just want to say BAM! IN YOUR FACE, GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTICS!

Link [Reuters]