A Lost World Beyond Imagining and (Hopefully) Beyond Reach

A Honeybird only seen on the Foja Mountains of Indonesia. Photo by Bruce Beehler I remember watching a movie as a kid that depicted a remote, desolate island at the far reaches of the globe where dinosaurs still lived, ready to entertain eleven-year-old boys’ fantasies through shaky script-writing and laughable production value.

There is such a place, even if there are no dinosaurs (to the disappointment of that eleven-year-old boy in me) but that is as untouched and free from human influence as any place on earth, and where, after only two scientific expeditions, new species of plants and animals await discovery.

The pristine jungle region is in Indonesia’s Foja Mountains in Papua Province, part of the great Mamberamo Basin comprising the largest unroaded tropical forest in the Asia Pacific.

The first expedition in 2005 yielded dozens of new plant and animals and on a subsequent expedition this summer, this time accompanied with a film crew from the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes, scientists discovered more otherwise unknown fauna, including a new species of bird, a pygmy possum, and a giant rat – not giant as in that B movie Sci-Fi flick I watched decades ago, just giant as in the size of a cat – which, for a rat, is giant enough.

“You can’t get there from here”

That’s what a friend of mine once said when a stranger asked directions (he was a bit of a smart alec) and, especially now that 60 Minutes has filmed it and I’m blogging about it, is probably the region’s best defense. It’s not an easy place in which to go.

With some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, much of which is likely still unknown, the 104 million acres of tropical forest is certainly best left alone. The occasional scientific survey with a dozen or so people every few years, okay. Exotic wilderness safaris for well-heeled travelers, probably not.

The real concern, however, comes from pressures to log and cut any tree that stands. Indonesia is plagued with illegal logging and a sharp rise in palm oil plantations (palm oil is increasingly used as a bio-fuel). Such a vast tract of untouched rainforest is always at risk of unscrupulous loggers and short-term business interests.

Indonesia is a major contributor to global CO², in fact, and rampant deforestation is the reason.

It’s nice to know that there are still places on the earth the remain (almost) entirely untouched (and isn’t just a young boy’s fantasy). We don’t have a great record in such matters, but lets hope that we know, at least this once, when to leave well enough alone.

Sources and Further Reading
MSNBC
ActionBioScience.org

Photo Credit: Bruce Beehler/Conservation International