Only a scant amount of the life on our planet—estimates range from one to ten per cent—has been discovered and catalogued. With species vanishing at an alarming rate, studying the Earth’s diversity is becoming a high priority. In a relatively unspoiled area of the world, a valuable lesson has been learned: seek and you shall find.
In the biologically rich Green Corridor, a remote region in the Thua Thien Hue province of Vietnam, 11 new species have been discovered by scientists of the World Wildlife Fund. Among them are a new species of snake and fungus-like orchids.
Completely covered in red spots, the whitelipped keelback snake sports a distinct yellowwhite stripe below its eyes and is commonly found near streams. The keelback enjoys feeding on small animals like frogs and can grow to be 31.5 inches long.
Three of the five orchids discovered are entirely leafless, a rare trait among orchids. Unlike most flowers, these orchids are completely chlorophyllfree and, similar to fungi, grow on decaying matter.
Other interesting characters present themselves: an arum plant that is surrounded by brilliant yellow blooms and funnel-shaped leaves, and a plant from the Aspidistra family that grows dark, nearly black flowers.
The skipper butterfly from the genus Zela and a butterfly from a new genus of the Satyrinae subfamily are only two among the eight new species of butterfly identified in the Green Corridor since 1996. The skipper is especially distinctive, exhibiting a flight pattern of quick, darting movements.
Vietnam’s Green Corridor stretches from the Annamites mountain range to the lowland wet evergreen forests of the coast. Dr. Chris Dickinson, chief WWF scientist in the Green Corridor, explained the importance of maintaining these types of ecosystems in a WWF press release: “Discoveries of so many new species are rare and occur only in very special places like the Green Corridor.”
This area is home to considerable numbers of threatened and endangered species, such as the white-cheeked crested gibbon. Hoang Ngoc Khanh, director of the Thua Thien Hue Provincial Forest Protection Department, echoed Dickinson’s sentiments regarding the area:
“The [Green Corridor] is extremely important for conservation and the province wants to protect the forests and their environmental services, as well as contribute to sustainable development.”
WWF experts warn that these 11 species are at risk from hunting, illegal logging, natural resource depletion, and human development. Started in June 2004, the Green Corridor Project, a four-year initiative established by the collaborative efforts of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme and Thua Thien Hue Provincial Forest Protection Department, aims to preserve the lush biodiversity of the Green Corridor.
“The jungles and mountains of Vietnam are fascinating places and they continue to surprise scientists,” said Bernard O’Callaghan, the Vietnam program coordinator for the World Conservation Union. With the possibility of a multitude of undiscovered species hidden in the depths of the Green Corridor, said Dickinson, these recent discoveries may be just the tip of the iceberg.
