- At least 361 new species, including what is thought to
be the world's largest cockroach and 30 freshwater fish, have been discovered
in Borneo in the last decade and thousands more are probably waiting to
be identified, according to a report published yesterday by the WWF.
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- But many of these are under threat from illegal logging,
the study warns.
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- WWF is calling for support for a multinational project
to protect one of the largest remaining areas of undamaged virgin forest.
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- WWF says 260 insects, 50 plants, 30 freshwater fish,
seven frogs, six lizards, five crabs, two snakes and a toad were discovered
from 1994 to 2004.
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- "However, the published figures are most likely
a gross underestimate, as twice as many species may currently be awaiting
notoriety through future publications," the report adds.
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- Among those newly identified is a 10cm-long cockroach,
discovered last year in a cave in the eastern Sangkulirang peninsula of
east Kalimantan, the Indonesian section of Borneo.
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- "Given that cockroaches are one of the oldest existing
insect species, the discovery of such a 'giant' is the entomologist's equivalent
of finding a live Tyrannosaurus rex," the report says.
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- Two other highlights were the discovery in 2000 that
the Borneo orang-utan is a different species from its Sumatran counterpart
and that the Borneo pygmy elephant is a separate sub-species indigenous
to the island. It had previously been thought that the British introduced
elephants into Borneo from India 350 years ago.
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- Amalia Firman, from Conservation International, one of
WWF's partners, said: "It's clear there still needs to be a lot more
research done into new species on Borneo."
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- To protect this biological treasure trove, WWF, CI, the
Nature Conservancy and several other environmental groups have joined forces
with Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, the three countries which share the
island, to create the Heart of Borneo, 220,000 sq km (90,000 square miles)
of untouched mainly upland forest.
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- "This is an area that is still in its natural state
and is ecologically connected," said Nita Murjani of WWF. "It
already has several protected areas and we are trying to package the projects
into something more integrated."
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- The Heart of Borneo contains the watersheds of many of
the island's major rivers. "If these were to go then the whole island
would be devastated," she said.
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- The three nations held their first working-level meeting
this month and officials are expected to start implementing the vision
immediately, Ms Nita said.
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- The forces ranged against them are enormous. Deforestation
in Indonesia is proceeding, according to conservative estimates, at a rate
of six football pitches per minute and most of that is being done illegally.
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- Protected areas are just as at risk as anywhere else,
according to Sam Lawson of the Environmental Investigation Agency. "We
have got evidence of widespread and anarchic illegal logging in national
parks in both Kalimantan and Sarawak," he said. Sarawak is one of
the two Malaysian states in Borneo.
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- Mr Lawson said the fact that the Heart of Borneo is in
mountainous areas means it is not at immediate risk. "But unless the
governments rein in the illegal loggers and consumers stop buying the product,
illegal loggers will get to these places too."
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2005
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/conserva
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