Home
1. What We Do
  1. Priority Places
    1. Greater Mekong

New species discovered in the Greater Mekong at risk of extinction due to climate change

Posted on 22 September 2009

Among 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year are at risk of extinction due to climate change. View more pictures.

Download

Greater Mekong new species report 5.18 MB pdf

Greater Mekong - A bird eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it’s from another planet and a bird which would rather walk than fly, are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report launched by WWF ahead of UN climate talks in Bangkok.

During 2008 alone, scientists identified these rare and unique species within the jungles and rivers of the Greater Mekong, including a bird eating fanged frog that lies in streams waiting for prey, one of only four new species of musk shrew to be described in recent times, and a leopard gecko whose “other world” appearance – orange eyes, spindly limbs and technicolour skin – inspired the report’s title Close Encounters.

Such is the immense biodiversity of this region that some discoveries such as the tiger-striped pitviper were made by accident.

“We were engrossed in trying to catch a new species of gecko when my son pointed out that my hand was on a rock mere inches away from the head of a pitviper! We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species,” said Dr Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California.

Close Encounters spotlights species newly identified by science including 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, 2 mammals and a bird, all discovered in 2008 within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan.

The reluctant flyer, Nonggang babbler, was observed walking longer distances than flying. It would only use its wings when frightened.

“After millennia in hiding these species are now finally in the spotlight, and there are clearly more waiting to be discovered,” said Stuart Chapman, Director of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme.

But no sooner are these new species discovered than their survival is threatened by the devastating impacts of climate change, the report warns.

Recent studies show the climate of the Greater Mekong region is already changing. Models suggest continued warming, increased variability and more frequent and damaging extreme climate events.

Rising seas and saltwater intrusion will cause major coastal impacts especially in the Mekong River delta, which is one of the three most vulnerable deltas on Earth, according to the most recent International Panel on Climate Change report.

“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions,” said Chapman.

“Rare, endangered and endemic species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats,” he said.

Often these newly discovered species are highly dependent on a limited number of species for their survival. If they respond to climate change in a way that disrupts this closely evolved relationship it puts them at greater risk of extinction.

Over the next two weeks, government delegates will meet in Bangkok, Thailand, for the next round of UN climate change talks in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, where the world is scheduled to agree on a new global climate treaty.

“The treasures of nature are in trouble if governments fail to agree a fair, ambitious and binding treaty that will prevent runaway climate change,” said Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the WWF Global Climate Initiative.

“Protecting endangered species and vulnerable communities in the Greater Mekong and elsewhere around the world depends on fast progress at the UN talks in Bangkok - a hugely important conference that can lay the groundwork for success at the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December.”

Comments

Putu Liza

September 30, 2009 - 07:54

I think this ‘new’ species discovery refers to species newly identified by scientists, as some posters here have suggested. So yes, I agree that “they have lived with us for 1000 years and no one ever thought of looking for them” and “After millennia in hiding these species are now finally in the spotlight, and there are clearly more waiting to be discovered” are more probable than that the species have just emerged recently.

I’m not a geneticist, but I understand that speciation can take thousands or even millions of years to truly take place, if we’re talking about macro organisms (i.e. not bacterias, or even flies). Hence the understandable question that this current human-induced climate change “has created an adaptable species” is rather unlikely for these species, IMO. The current climate change impacts are so recent (less than 150 years) that these species would have not adapted yet. The current climate change MIGHT force these ‘new’ species to adapt themselves in the future, and hence perhaps in several thousands of years would come out as totally new species… but not now.

But apart from that, I think this kind of wake up call is really needed if we are going to motivate the world to take action on climate change. I understand the perennial argument of ‘human versus other species’, but I think if we work to save the habitats of these species (in this case the Mekong catchments) from human-accelerated climate change (or even without the climate change arguments), we eventually will save more forests, more water bodies, and more food supplies for ourselves, the humans. In the end, I think it’s a win-win solution for both human and non-human species.

Adrian Diaz Hilton

September 28, 2009 - 16:31

Before making a comment on climate shift etc. ...

Has anyone researched on HOW have these new species been "discovered" by humans lately?
I don't want to have an opinion on any possibility before checking out others ... There's the mutating separate individuals due to climate change. But would there also be the small chance that they have evolved (just like humans have become bigger, smarter, stronger over the years)??? How about the improbable ... they have lived with us for 1000 years and no one ever thought of looking for them?

So once this research is done maybe there will be answers not just on how did they got there, but also how to keep them alive. And who knows ... maybe the cure to cancer is in one of them!

By the way ... is there an online catalog of these animals? ... I would LOVE to meet them.

Steinbach

September 28, 2009 - 10:58

What Jessica says makes sense: we should be worried about those animals going extinct - because of ourselves.

First of all, previous mass extinctions were brought about by dumb natural phaenomenons like volcano eruptions or meteorite impacts. Volcanoes and meteorites surely don't know they are causing mass extinctions, while we do. More importantly, in those prehistoric days there were no intelligent beings around who could tell that species went extinct, so noone cared. We humans can point out and name species, and it is for us that living nature has any value. We can also tell they are going extinct, and only we will actually miss them if they do. So that's why we should care about the great biodiversity that still is around today.

Jessica

September 27, 2009 - 21:04

I think it's neat how we can find all these species and right away know that - oh, my goodness, they're going to die because of climate change!! Don't these kinds of things take time to know?
And besides, if these species have been living or 'millenia', as they say they have, surely they've survied climate change after climate change, n'est pas? One last climate change won't kill them, will it?
Yes, climate change is a big issue, and yes we should be worried about it, but for our own sake, not the new species sake. Humans haven't been around for thousands of years, and these geckos and whatever else have been.
Maybe we should start worrying on what to do about us, the 'all-powerful human', so that we can live and try to protect these 'endangered species' for the tomorrows to come.

Felipe

September 26, 2009 - 21:54

The problem is not that the earth had many climate changes in its history before. The problem is how fast the human race is accelarating this natural process, and if we will be able to survive to it. Probably not, at the end we will kill ourself, unless we change our way to live right now.

kinzi

September 26, 2009 - 02:34

I am wondering if animals can adapt to new environment conditions because of climate change. If they can, How quickly can they adapt to this shift?

Dennis

September 25, 2009 - 22:05

Unbelievable.....a previuosly undiscovered species may go extinct because of climate change ......what a load of crap. Next thing you know they will say we wiped out thousands of species that we never knew about because of climate change......people can say anything when its "for the polar bears" or "for the children" and sheeple will just eat it up.

Chad Lee

September 25, 2009 - 19:50

It takes time to adapt. For those who complain about the environment, why don't you just refuse to live in a house that was built on land that ever had a tree on it. That way no lizards or snakes or birds were displaced because of you personally and not just people as a whole. That's how you can take a stand. impossible, but you can try.

Barbara Jean

September 25, 2009 - 19:10

Is it possible that these species are new because of climate change?
That the stress of the environment has created an adaptable species?

Mariano

September 25, 2009 - 17:57

Hello, I'm a journalist from Argentina, learning about conservation issues. I'd like to be in contact with scientists or journalists who write articles for the media.
Thank you!