Many New Species Discovered In Hidden Mozambique Oasis With Help Of Google Earth 

    ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2009) — Space may be the final frontier, but scientists who recently discovered a hidden forest in Mozambique show the uncharted can still be under our noses. BirdLife were part of a team of scientists who used Google Earth to identify a remote patch of pristine forest. An expedition to the site discovered new species of butterfly and snake, along with seven Globally Threatened birds.

Scientific surveying Mount Mabu -- Mozambique - found a wealth of wildlife including Pygmy Chamelons. (Credit: Julian Bayliss / Kew )

                                     http://earth.google.com/intl/zh-TW/

    The team were browsing Google Earth – freely available software providing global satellite photography – to search for potential wildlife hotspots. A nearby road provided the first glimpses of a wooded mountain topped by bare rock. However, only by using Google Earth could the scientists observe the extent of woodland on the other side of the peak. This was later discovered to be the locally known, but unmapped, Mount Mabu. Scientific collections and literature also failed to shed light on the area.“This is potentially the biggest area of medium-altitude forest I’m aware of in southern Africa , yet it was not on the map”, related Jonathan Timberlake from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), who led the expedition. “Most Mozambicans would not even have recognised the name Mount Mabu .”Following scoping trips, a team of 28 experts from the UK , Mozambique , Malawi , Tanzania , Belgium , Ireland , and Switzerland ventured into it last autumn. They included scientists from BirdLife.The group was able to stay in an abandoned tea estate where the road ended, but had to hike the last few kilometres into the forest to set up camp. They had to contend with steep terrain and dense vegetation.

    Inside, they found a wealth of wildlife, including three new species of butterfly and an undiscovered species of adder. The scientists believe there are at least two novel species of plant and perhaps more new insects to identify. They took home over 500 samples. “The phenomenal diversity is just mind-boggling”, exclaimed Jonathan Timberlake. Despite civil war from 1975 to 1992 ravaging parts of Mozambique , the landscape was found virtually untouched.The site also proved to be important for birds, especially Endangered Thyolo Alethe choloensis, which is common throughout. “This may be the most important population of Thyolo Alethe known”, remarked Dr Lincoln Fishpool, BirdLife’s Global IBA Co-ordinator, who joined the expedition. “At other sites, forest is rapidly being lost or much of the habitat is sub-optimal”. There were six other Globally Threatened birds among the 126 species identified. Of these, Vulnerable Swynnerton's Robin Swynnertonia is particularly significant - bridging a large gap between known populations. Mozambique ’s only endemic species, Near Threatened Namuli Apalis Apalis lynesi, was also seen. This was the first record of it away from nearby Mount Namuli . 

    Conserving Mount Mabu is now a priority. The forest’s value as a refuge to villagers during the war has thus far helped to protect it, along with poor access and ignorance of its existence. However local people are returning to the area and Mozambique ’s economy is booming. There is a risk the forest will come under pressure to be cut for wood or burnt for crop space.RBG Kew is working to protect the forest, as part of ongoing efforts with the Mozambique government. BirdLife has plans to recognise it as an Important Bird Area (IBA), “ Mount Mabu effortlessly qualifies as an IBA”, said Dr Fishpool. Ground-level measures could be most effective conservation for the immediate future: “Remoteness is currently its best protection. We hope to work alongside the local tea-estate managers who are conservation-sympathetic and want to maintain the status quo of the forest”. 

    As for Google Earth, Jonathan Timberlake says the digital imagery has helped scientists realise more about the world. It may reveal further unnoticed pockets of diversity, especially in areas like Mozambique or Papua New Guinea . “We cannot say we have discovered all the biodiversity areas in the world”.The expedition was led by RBG Kew and involved scientists from the Mozambique Agronomic Research Institute and the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust in Malawi , as well as BirdLife International. It was funded by the Darwin Initiative...

《利用Google地球的幫助，在莫桑比克綠洲裡發現許多暗藏的新物種》

    科學家最近發現一個隱藏的森林在莫桑比克，顯示未知仍然可以在我們的眼皮底下。一組科學家使用Google地球，觀察一個偏遠的一片原始森林，以做為鳥類保護的一部分研究。一次觀察中發現了新種蝴蝶和蛇，以及7種全球瀕危鳥類。該小組瀏覽Google地球-免費提供軟件，提供全球衛星攝影-尋找潛在的野生動物熱點。在附近的道路第一次看見一座樹木繁茂的山裡有一裸露的岩石。然而，只有通過使用Google地球，科學家可以觀察到林地的另一邊的高峰。後來發現麻步山Mount Mabu是當地眾所周知，但未繪製地圖，科學收藏品和文學也沒有揭示該地區。 

   “ 這是我所知在南部非洲潛在的最大面積中等高度森林，然而，它並沒有在地圖上” ─喬納森來自英國皇家植物園，曾帶領遠征至此地。“大多數莫桑比克人甚至沒有認識到麻步山的名字。”分別來自英國、莫桑比克、馬拉維、坦桑尼亞、比利時、愛爾蘭、瑞士的28位專家所組成的團隊，在去年秋天冒險進入麻步山，其中包括了鳥類研究的科學家。該小組僅能夠到達一個廢棄的茶產業道路的盡頭，所以必須遠足最後幾公里進入森林設定營地。他們必須對付陡峭的地形和密集的植被。 

    在裡面，他們發現了豐富的野生動植物，其中包括三個蝴蝶新種和一個未知的物種。科學家認為至少有兩個新物種的植物可以確定，也許還有更多新的昆蟲物種，他們採取了500個樣品。“物種的多樣性是令人難以置信的” ─喬納森驚嘆著！儘管1975年至1992年的內戰肆虐部分莫桑比克，但自然景觀被發現時幾乎沒有被破壞。該地點也被證明有非常重要的鳥類，在其他地點，森林正在迅速消失或大部分的棲息地是次優的“。還有其他6個全球瀕危鳥類126新種正在確定中。莫桑比克唯一特有物種，在被威脅的Namuli Apalis lynesi附近，也被發現了，這是在Namuli山附近有的第一次記錄。 

    保護麻步山現在是一個優先事項。此森林在戰爭期間為村民的一個避難所，一直至今卻也幫助保護了森林。隨著莫桑比克的經濟發展，當地居民正在返回該地區。森林將在經濟發展與人口的壓力下，有木頭被砍伐或被燒毀以做為莊稼空間的風險。英國皇家植物園與莫桑比克政府正在努力保護森林，鳥類保護計劃也把它設定為一重要鳥類保護區。“人類遠離此區，目前會是最好的保護方式。“我們希望與有同理心和想要維護森林現狀的地方茶園經營人合作。 

    關於Google地球，喬納森說：“衛星影像科學家們了解更多與世界有關的事物。”它可以更進一步揭示物種的多樣性，尤其是在莫桑比克等領域或巴布亞新幾內亞。我們不可能說我們在地球上發現了所有生物多樣性區域…

※資料來源：http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2009/02/many-new-species-discovered-in-hidden.html
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