‘I almost couldn’t believe it’

[Pelican Press 0]

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‘I almost couldn’t believe it’

In Alto Mayo, a forest in Peru, there’s more than meets the eye.

Conservation International’s recent survey of Alto Mayo, which is part of the

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, exceeded expectations, with findings that change conservation efforts in the forest going forward.

Trond Larsen, a biologist at Conservation International and part of the research team, was shocked at what they discovered: a harlequin frog.

“I almost couldn’t believe it,” Larsen said, per

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. “Not only is this frog endangered, but this species has never been found this low on the mountainside. It was our first important discovery — and it was a harbinger of more to come.”

Researchers found more than just a rare frog — they “recorded more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, including 27 that are new to science and 49 that are threatened with extinction,” according to the non-profit.

Finding this amount of biodiversity wouldn’t be unusual in another forest, but Alto Mayo is different. It’s home to many human settlements, and “researchers say the expedition’s findings are proof that nature and people can thrive side by side,” Conservation International reported.

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The

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is the world’s largest rainforest, but it’s shrinking. Around 17% of the

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has been destroyed, due in large part to deforestation, per

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.

If this rate of deforestation continues, the

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will reach its tipping point and will no longer be able to sustain itself as a rainforest and the world’s largest carbon sink. The effects would be a disaster; the climate crisis would worsen, millions of species of plants and animals would be threatened, and millions of people would lose their homes.

Diego Dourojeanni, who works with Conservation International and the Indigenous peoples of the Alto Mayo, hopes the survey’s findings will help protect the forest.

“To effectively protect nature, you first need to know what’s there,” he told Conservation International. “By 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.”

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