NEW SPECIES DISCOVERIES THE EASteRN HIMALAYAS W H E R E WORLDS COLLIDE Living Himalayas Network Initiative At least 353 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas between 1998 and 2008, equating to an average of 35 new species finds summary © Anindya Sinha © every year for the last 10 years. The Above: The Arunachal macaque, a new primate species, one of the extraordinary new finds from the Eastern discoveries include 242 plants, 16 Himalayas. New mammals, particularly primates, are very rare among global scientific discoveries. amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2 Main photo: The awe-inspiring Eastern Himalayas. birds and 2 mammals, and at least 61 new invertebrates. executive © Tushar Gupte Tushar © 1 The Eastern Himalayas is at the crossroads of two continental plates Many of WWF’s established priority conservation landscapes are being impacted by the represented by the lowland Indo-Malayan Realm and to the north, the elevated current unsustainable development in the Eastern Himalayas, and so we consider that a new Palearctic Realm. The meeting of these worlds has created one of the layer of strategic action is needed to augment our longstanding field projects.This includes asking the governments of Bhutan, India and Nepal to commit to a shared tripartite vision that biologically richest areas on Earth. recognises the global significance of the region and supports the implementation of a unified conservation and sustainable development plan that ensures the landscapes within the Eastern Spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, North Bengal Himalayas are connected. and Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Tibet, the region includes four of the Global 200 ecoregions, critical landscapes of international biological importance. The By promoting a shared sustainable development vision, WWF believes that real progress can Himalayas are home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird be made in tackling huge poverty-impacting issues in the Eastern Himalayas such as climate species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 freshwater fish. The region also has the highest change, deforestation, the illegal wildlife and timber trade, poor infrastructure development, density of the Bengal tiger and is the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhino. and thereby secure the livelihoods, subsistence and fresh water essential to millions of people throughout the region. Even today the rugged, and largely inaccessible landscape of the Eastern Himalayas, hides the real extent of the region’s biodiversity, with extraordinary new species continuing to be Only a concerted focus and a shared vision can maintain a living Himalayas, for people and discovered year-on-year. Between 1998 and 2008, at least 353 new species have been nature, whether discovered or yet to be discovered. discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, 35 new species finds on average every year for the last 10 years (see Appendix). The extent of the new species finds place the Eastern Himalayas on a par with more well- known biological hotspots such as Borneo. This report celebrates these unique and fascinating species discoveries. It also highlights the many vital habitats that face growing pressures as a consequence of unsustainable development in the region. Despite protection efforts, in the last half-century, this area of South Asia has faced a wave of pressures as a result of population growth and the increasing demand for commodities by global and regional markets. The host of threats include forest destruction as a result of unsustainable and illegal logging, agriculture, unsustainable fuel wood collection, overgrazing by domestic livestock, illegal poaching and wildlife trade, mining, pollution, hydropower development, and poorly planned infrastructure. The region is also among the most vulnerable to global climate change, which will amplify the impacts of these threats. Only 25% of the original habitats in the region remain intact. For the unique species of the Eastern Himalayas, this means that today 163 are considered globally threatened. © Murat Selam Above: Where worlds collide. The Eastern Himalayas is at the crossroads of two continental plates, creating one of the biologically richest areas on Earth. 2 Asia’s Land of Contrast, Life and Wonder © Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon © Martin Harvey / himalayas © Lip Kee eastern Above: Asian elephant (top) and greater one-horned rhino (bottom). Main photo: The Eastern Himalayas comprise 17 critical tiger landscapes and the densest population of Bengal tigers in the world. © Michel Terrettaz / WWF-Canon / Terrettaz © Michel 3 No mountain range on Earth can match the awe-inspiring Himalayas. Home Right: The beautifully- marked snow leopard is to all of the world’s highest peaks, many standing above 8,000m, they include endemic to the the tallest, the formidable Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) at 8,848m. Their story Eastern Himalayas. is one of fascination and intrigue, which continues to captivate the world. The 3,000km-long Himalayan mountain range, “abode of snow” in Sanskrit, was born from a massive tectonic collision 40-50 million years ago. The energy dissipated by the monumental meeting of India and Eurasia was far-reaching and shaped many of Asia’s most distinctive geographical features, including the formation of the Tibetan Plateau; the highest on Earth. Even today, the relentless movement of the plates continues to push the Himalayas further skyward. The Eastern Himalayas spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Times © Bhutan Pradesh, Assam, North Bengal and Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Tibet forms a wall that separates the lowlands of the Indian subcontinent from the high, dry Where worlds collide Tibetan Plateau. Climatic variability and altitudinal gradation have forged the region into A global biodiversity hotspot1, the Eastern Himalayas is one of the biologically richest areas Asia’s land of contrasts, encompassing some of nature’s most magnificent spaces, from the on Earth. Because the region sits at the biogeographical crossroads of two continental plates, world’s highest mountains and several of the world’s deepest gorges, to subtropical jungles, it contains an incredible wealth of biodiversity from both worlds. The Indo-Malayan Realm temperate forests, tall grasslands, savannas and rich alpine meadows. in the lowlands of the Eastern Himalayas is home to Asian elephants, clouded leopards, wild water buffalo, gaur, hornbills, cobras and geckos. The elevated Palearctic Realm to the north A myriad of cultures and faiths including Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and animists, have includes the snow leopard, red pandas, black bears, wolf, golden langurs and a diverse lived closely with the natural environments of the Eastern Himalayas for millennia. Many of assemblage of alpine ungulates, like takins. these communities live in isolation; their customs, lifestyles and livelihoods have been shaped by their environment, and they remain deeply dependent on the resources nature provides. The Eastern Himalayas hotspot2 includes four Global 200 ecoregions3, critical landscapes of international biological importance, four World Heritage sites, two Endemic Bird Areas4, and several global centres for plant diversity5. The Himalayas harbour a staggering 10,000 plant The Eastern Himalayas CHINA species, from tropical to temperate, from alpine to tundra; 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish6. A third of all plants NEPAL Tibet and reptiles are endemicI, as are 40% of all amphibians7. 8 BHUTAN Arunachal The world’s northernmost tropical rainforests can be found in the Eastern Himalayas and Pradesh nearly half of the flowering plants9 and bird species known from India10. The plant life of Sikkim Assam Arunachal Pradesh is considered among the most diverse in the world, ranking second only to North Bengal Sumatra in Indonesia and greater than Borneo, Brazil and Papua New Guinea11. INDIA Importantly, the region comprises 17 landscapes for the Bengal tiger12, Asia’s largest INDIA MYANMAR carnivore, with the densest population of Bengal tigers in the world. The Eastern Himalayas (BURMA) BANGLADESH are also the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhino, which once enjoyed a range spanning the entire length of the Himalaya foothills, from Pakistan to Myanmar13 but are now restricted to a few corners of India, Bhutan and Nepal. People and wildlife form a rich mosaic of life stretching across a remarkable and unparalleled I Endemic refers to a species that is exclusively native to a specific place and found nowhere else. landscape. 4 a decade of new life revealed... Historically, the rugged and largely inaccessible landscape of the Eastern Himalayas has made biological surveys in the region extremely difficult.As a result, wildlife has remained poorly surveyed and there are large areas that are still biologically unexplored. © Michael Cota The topographic complexity, including steep mountains and valleys, has also forged isolated islands of habitat. According to scientists, large areas of intact forests, rivers and thousands of isolated streams, separated by mountain massifs, high ridges and valleys, could support 2002 1999 populations of species cut off from one another, giving rise to genetic differences among © Gernot Vogel © Gernot populations, a step toward the evolution of endemic species. Scientists believe that