New species calls for greater protection of Eastern Himalayas

New Delhi: Spanning India's north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim and parts of West Bengal along with Myanmar, Nepal and southern Tibet, the Eastern Himalayas region is one of the biologically richest areas on earth.

It forms a wall that separates the lowlands of the Indian subcontinent from the high, dry Tibetan Plateau. Between 1998 and 2008, at least 353 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas - an average of 35 new species finds every year for the last 10 years. These discoveries are compiled in a new report by WWF 'Eastern Himalayas - Where the Worlds Collide'. The report mentions 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2 birds, 2 mammals and at least 60 new invertebrates that have been discovered here.

The extent of the new species finds place the Eastern Himalayas on par with more well-known biological hotspots such as Borneo. India has a lot to celebrate from this report as 144 of these species were discovered here. Eight of the 16 species of amphibians discovered in the Eastern Himalayas in the past decade are from India's north-east. Among them are Rhacophorus suffry, a bright green, red-footed tree frog, described in 2007. It is known to glide or 'fly' from one tree to another. Also, Philautus sahai, a highly endemic frog, was described in 2006 from specimens found in 1988 in a single tree hollow, on the bank of River Noa Dihing in Arunachal Pradesh.Of the 61 invertebrates discovered, 6 are in India. In 2008, a medium sized new species of freshwater prawn 'Macrobrachium agwi' was described from Cooch Behar in northern West Bengal. This prawn is categorised as an 'ornamental shrimp' in the aquarium trade. Of the 242 species of plants discovered, nearly half - 120 are found in India. Continuing with its reputation of being 'orchid capital of the world', a quarter of the 21 new orchid species discovered in the Eastern Himalayas were found in Sikkim. The other new species discovered in India's Eastern Himalayas during this period are 2 birds, 5 fish and 2 mammals.

Although, on one hand, the discoveries in the last decade highlight the importance and richness of the Eastern Himalayas, on the other hand they also remind us of the urgent need to protect this magnificent part of the world. The opening of the region to outside world has resulted in unsustainable development in many places. As a result, only 25% of the original habitat in the region remains intact.

The damage has not left India untouched. Of the 163 species considered as globally threatened in Eastern Himalayas, 146 (90%) are from North-east India, including 70 species that are found nowhere else on earth.

Courtesy: WWF