The researchers said the findings of the expedition demonstrate that people and nature can live side by side, but we must take immediate action to preserve it.<\/p>\n
During the expedition, the team of 20 slogged through swamps, rivers and lagoons. They crossed farm fields and climbed mountains into cloud forests, all the while looking for movements and other signs of animals while setting up camera traps and collecting samples.<\/p>\n
Of the 2,000 species they recorded, 27 were new to science and nearly 50 are threatened with extinction. Four of the newly discovered species were mammals.<\/p>\n
\u201cMammals are the best-known animal group in the world \u2014 so discovering four new mammals in any expedition is surprising,\u201d Larsen said in the press release. \u201cFinding them in a region with significant human populations is extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n
The amphibious mouse the team discovered is part of the aguajales ecosystem \u2014 a swampy area dominated by aguaje palms. The area is a designated \u201cecosystem recovery zone,\u201d where deforestation for rice farming is a threat to the mouse\u2019s unique habitat.<\/p>\n
Larsen said the species \u2014 which likely exclusively inhabits the Alto Mayo \u2014 is part of a semi-aquatic group of rodents, of which most known species are exceptionally rare.<\/p>\n
Just before coming upon a dark brown harlequin frog \u2014 Atelopus seminiferus \u2014 an extremely rare species that had never been seen at such low elevations, \u201cLarsen had crossed a muddy logging track, where a donkey pulled a cart of fresh-cut timber through the forest,\u201d the press release said.<\/p>\n
Palomino said many researchers hypothesize that fragmented forested areas hold little biodiversity, which is why they have largely ignored places like Alto Mayo. Palomino said the expedition challenges those views.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe discovery of so many new and threatened species was so surprising, in part, because it was a nearly blank slate \u2014 no one has ever really looked,\u201d Palomino said in the press release. \u201cNow, we\u2019re proving the unexpected: Small patches of healthy forests can support a wealth of species.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approximately 280,000 people live in Alto Mayo, including Indigenous Awaj\u00fan people. To make ends meet during the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, community members were forced to allow migrant farmers to rent their lands.<\/p>\n
This led to a steep rise in deforestation, according to Diego Dourojeanni, Conservation International\u2019s leader of work with Alto Mayo\u2019s Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunities didn\u2019t deforest their land because they wanted to \u2014 it was out of necessity,\u201d Dourojeanni said in the press release. \u201cWhile it helped in the short term, it became clear that this practice came at a steep cost to resources, food security and the ecosystem services like clean water that the forests provide.\u201d<\/p>\n
The expedition came out of efforts to address deforestation by working with the Awaj\u00fan people and other local communities to help build alternative sources of livelihood, like selling vanilla and medicinal teas, in addition to practicing agroforestry with coffee beans and cocoa. They are also striving to improve Awaj\u00fan community governance to ensure sustainable and equitable management of their territory.<\/p>\n
The expedition was the beginning of a plan to connect Alto Mayo\u2019s remaining patches of abundant biodiversity to create a conservation corridor for the long-term protection of the region\u2019s wildlife.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo effectively protect nature, you first need to know what\u2019s there,\u201d Dourojeanni explained. \u201cBy understanding where wildlife lives, we can make better land management decisions and target areas that are best suited for conservation and sustainable activities like ecotourism, selective logging and sustainable agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dourojeanni said getting a better idea of what lives in the forest is not just important for economic reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want people to value forests and resources in a more emotional way,\u201d Dourojeanni emphasized. \u201cBecause the truth is that if it\u2019s just for income\u2019s sake, it\u2019s really, really hard to compete with agricultural drivers of deforestation. And traditional knowledge on how to use the forest is at risk of being lost in a generation or two.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dourojeanni said there have been signs of progress in the last decade. Communities have stopped renting out their land as much and have a better understanding of how important it is to protect their forests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not too late yet,\u201d Dourojeanni said. \u201cIf we do the right thing, people and nature can co-exist on this landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n