Inside the Lost World
4 May 2006, 4:00 PM EDT
In December 2005, CI scientist and vice president Bruce Beehler spent one month in the unexplored Foja Mountains of western New Guinea. His expedition team uncovered a trove of new and "missing" species, making headlines around the world. Join Bruce on May 4, 2006 and go inside the lost world.
Mysterious Bird of Paradise: Lost and Found
In case you missed it, read more about the Foja Mountains discoveries in our online magazine, Conservation Frontlines Online.
On May 4, 2006 Dr. Beehler discussed his expedition live with Conservation.org visitors. Read the trasncript below.
Read more about Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.
Transcript
Jennifer Carr (CI Web Editor):
Hello everyone, and welcome to our first live, online dicussion. Today we're talking with Dr. Bruce Beehler about his recent expedition to the Foja Mountains in New Guinea.
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
Jennifer, it's great to be here and I look forward to answer questions about this wonderful place we were able to visit!
Victor Ow:
This was reported in the newspaper as the lost 'Garden of Eden'. Please tell me more of this place and the species discovered? Thanks.
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
Victor,
The Foja Mountains are a small and little-known mountain range in the northern part of Papua (western New Guinea). In terms of being like the "Garden of Eden" what I originally said was that our camp in these mountains was "like the Garden of Eden before the arrival of humankind" - this was the domain of wildlife without people. That was one of the really neat things about these mountains - indigenous people have traditional ownership of the mountain range, but the people do not go up into the mountains - the wildlife live there in peace!
The Foja Mountains are a small and little-known mountain range in the northern part of Papua (western New Guinea). In terms of being like the "Garden of Eden" what I originally said was that our camp in these mountains was "like the Garden of Eden before the arrival of humankind" - this was the domain of wildlife without people. That was one of the really neat things about these mountains - indigenous people have traditional ownership of the mountain range, but the people do not go up into the mountains - the wildlife live there in peace!
Bismuth David:
Hello,
2 questions ...
- Are there any forestry exploitation projects in or around the Foja Mountains?
- What were the reactions of the Indonesian government following the results of your expedition ?
2 questions ...
- Are there any forestry exploitation projects in or around the Foja Mountains?
- What were the reactions of the Indonesian government following the results of your expedition ?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
The Foja Mts are a Wildlife Sanctuary (Suaka Margasatwa) and thus there are no logging operations in the range or even in the foothills. That is great news.
Also good news is that the Government of Indonesia were as excited about our discoveries (the discoveries, remember, were made by Indonesian, Australian, and American scientists working as a team) as we were. Most recently, the government made a declaration to ensure conservation of the Foja Range at the 8th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba, Brazil.
Also good news is that the Government of Indonesia were as excited about our discoveries (the discoveries, remember, were made by Indonesian, Australian, and American scientists working as a team) as we were. Most recently, the government made a declaration to ensure conservation of the Foja Range at the 8th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba, Brazil.
Linus Chen:
2 Frog related questions:
Are the frogs that were discovered ones that reproduce in tree cavities or plants that retain water, or terrestrial based bodies of water (and if the later, can you mention the other species discovered, such as fish or other invertebrates).
Also, any indication that the frogs you discovered may be suffering from the mysterious declines found worldwide?
Thanks!
Are the frogs that were discovered ones that reproduce in tree cavities or plants that retain water, or terrestrial based bodies of water (and if the later, can you mention the other species discovered, such as fish or other invertebrates).
Also, any indication that the frogs you discovered may be suffering from the mysterious declines found worldwide?
Thanks!
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
I am not the best for answering frog questions, so be aware these are best guesses (better to ask Steve Richards at the South Australiam Museum)...
Q1: I believe most of the species we encountered were ones that breed in the moss and ground (fossorial) although there probably at least one or two that breed in the water captured by epiphytic vegetation.
Q2: difficult to say, because we have a single sample, and thus cannot monitor change over time. We did not find any frogs that had abnormalities...
Q1: I believe most of the species we encountered were ones that breed in the moss and ground (fossorial) although there probably at least one or two that breed in the water captured by epiphytic vegetation.
Q2: difficult to say, because we have a single sample, and thus cannot monitor change over time. We did not find any frogs that had abnormalities...
yehuda romem:
Which species of birds of paradise are found in the Foja Mountains?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
The birds of paradise inhabiting the Foja Mts are:
Black Sicklebill
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
Pale-billed Sicklebill (foothills)
King Bird of Paradise (foothills)
Magnificent Bird of Paradise
Berlepsch's Parotia
Trumpet Manucode
Crinkle-collared Manucode
Glossy-mantled Manucode (foothills)
Twelve-wired BoP (foothills)
Lesser BoP
Magnificent Riflebird
Black Sicklebill
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
Pale-billed Sicklebill (foothills)
King Bird of Paradise (foothills)
Magnificent Bird of Paradise
Berlepsch's Parotia
Trumpet Manucode
Crinkle-collared Manucode
Glossy-mantled Manucode (foothills)
Twelve-wired BoP (foothills)
Lesser BoP
Magnificent Riflebird
Monique:
Mr. Beehler, your bio mentions an encounter with a long-beaked echidna, specifically that it wasn't afraid of you. Is that because the echidna was used to people, or didn't know any better?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
It did not know any better.. Also these are slow-moving creatures that have few defenses against humans (spiny quills on the back and a poison claw on the rear foot). This species is in trouble where ever people are hunting in the forest with dogs...
Adriana Aquino:
Will we be able to keep the Foja Mountains protected from non-scientific public?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
I think we are confident that the Foja Mountains will be protected for the foreseeable future. It is already a Wildlife Sanctuary, but remember that the area is very very difficult to get to. Not many people have access to charter aircraft and helicopters. Both are needed to get up into these mountains....
yehuda romem:
Which species of tree-kangaroo are found in the Foja Mountains?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
The Grizzled T-K is common in the lowlands and lower hills
The Golden-mantled is fairly common in the mid-mountains.
There may also be a black tree kangaroo at the highest elevations of the range (we did not record it, but was have heard talk of this, and the northern coastal ranges in PNG have a black tree-kangaroo on their highest summits).
The Golden-mantled is fairly common in the mid-mountains.
There may also be a black tree kangaroo at the highest elevations of the range (we did not record it, but was have heard talk of this, and the northern coastal ranges in PNG have a black tree-kangaroo on their highest summits).
Macu:
Do you think it might have been better to surpress news of the discovery given that the area may now get unwanted attention from poachers, questionable tour operators, etc? If not what do you think the real value of such discoveries is?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
No, we don't, for several reasons:
1. Nature conservation is done by consensus and in a transparent fashion. In fact, we need all of civil society to help us achieve our natural conservation objectives. It is the resource exploiters who operate by stealth. We don't think you can achieve conservation "in secret" - at least not for long!
2. We want the whole World to be excited about the Foja Mountains. Since when did the World conserve a place it did not know about?
3. We have field staff in the Mamberamo Basin, working with local communities today. The staff and our partner communities are the eyes and ears of conservation.
4. The uplands of the Foja Mts are very very hard to get into. Poachers will focus on places that are much easier to get to, I suspect...
1. Nature conservation is done by consensus and in a transparent fashion. In fact, we need all of civil society to help us achieve our natural conservation objectives. It is the resource exploiters who operate by stealth. We don't think you can achieve conservation "in secret" - at least not for long!
2. We want the whole World to be excited about the Foja Mountains. Since when did the World conserve a place it did not know about?
3. We have field staff in the Mamberamo Basin, working with local communities today. The staff and our partner communities are the eyes and ears of conservation.
4. The uplands of the Foja Mts are very very hard to get into. Poachers will focus on places that are much easier to get to, I suspect...
Sara M:
Are you going back? If so, when?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
Yes, of course, the research scientists who worked there are eager to get back and continue their unfinished work!
That said, it is not clear when a team will be getting back. This is under discussion at the moment.
Getting back depends on getting the necessary funds to support the work, and also getting the proper permissions from the government of Indonesia...
That said, it is not clear when a team will be getting back. This is under discussion at the moment.
Getting back depends on getting the necessary funds to support the work, and also getting the proper permissions from the government of Indonesia...
Dave:
How common are these untrodden, uncontaminated natural sanctuaries? Are there many places like this that have managed to escape the touch of human exploration?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
I believe there are more places like this that the World would let on. Some may be smaller, but there are natural unblemished wilderness treasures in nooks and crannies in New Guinea, central Africa, Amazonia, the Andes, and probably in the sub-Arctic as well... Most of these are the domains of indigenous peoples, the stewards of these precious places...
As the World becomes more and more developed, these natural wild places become ever-more precious, don't you think?
As the World becomes more and more developed, these natural wild places become ever-more precious, don't you think?
Sanjay:
What does it feel like to make such an amazing discovery?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
More than anything, it was the splendid peaceful ecstacy of being in a place that was soaked in a kind of natural quiet that is unobtainable in an urban or suburban setting around the World.
Standing in the middle of our open bog at dawn, as the first light began shwowing, and listening to the quiet cacaphony of the birdsong and cicadas and crickets was certainly one of the special experiences of my life. I will never forget that!
Standing in the middle of our open bog at dawn, as the first light began shwowing, and listening to the quiet cacaphony of the birdsong and cicadas and crickets was certainly one of the special experiences of my life. I will never forget that!
Bismuth David:
Hello,
Besides the new Melipotes sp., and the rediscovery of Berlepsch's Six-wired Bird of Paradise(Parotia berlepschi), will new (for science) sub-species (or possibly species ?) of birds be described following your expedition?
Besides the new Melipotes sp., and the rediscovery of Berlepsch's Six-wired Bird of Paradise(Parotia berlepschi), will new (for science) sub-species (or possibly species ?) of birds be described following your expedition?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
I think several 3-4 new subspecies of birds may be found among the new records for the Foja Mts (a rail, a Melidectes honeyeater, a lorikeet, etc). Parsing this out will require some additional work with collaborators.
There remain some other bird mysteries that make us excited to get back (getting a close look at the Sericulus bowerbird that lives in the foothills there; having a close look at all the birds inhabiting the Foja summit; having a closer look at the bird fauna at 1,000 m elevation...
I think the next people who do bird surveys there will have some pleasant surprises...
There remain some other bird mysteries that make us excited to get back (getting a close look at the Sericulus bowerbird that lives in the foothills there; having a close look at all the birds inhabiting the Foja summit; having a closer look at the bird fauna at 1,000 m elevation...
I think the next people who do bird surveys there will have some pleasant surprises...
Gareth Shearman:
Has it been determined if the large flowered Rhododendron discovered on the expedition is indeed a new species? The picture looked very much like R. konori. Were there other Rhododendron species discovered?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
Our botanist, Wayne takeuchi, has done some preliminary work on it, and his current determination is that it may in fact be R. pachystigma, known from a single collection in the central cordillera. But I agree it looks a lot like konori (and I have been told this by George Archer from Kew)...
I think Wayne collected 6-7 species of rhodos (and I think the next field trip there will get a bunch more)...
I think Wayne collected 6-7 species of rhodos (and I think the next field trip there will get a bunch more)...
Erika:
What can citizens do to protect the Foja Mountains in New Guinea?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
One thing is to support the work being done by conservation groups who work in places like this. CI has a large conservation project that is focusing on conserving the 8 million hectare Mamberamo Basin - the largest unroaded tropical forest wilderness in the Asia-Pacific. The Foja Range is just a piece of this larger forest tract that needs conservation.
Be active, be vocal in support of tropical forest conservation!
Be active, be vocal in support of tropical forest conservation!
Bryan Zormeier:
Why doesn't the U.S. send people to other places where man have not been, such as Perito Moreno in Argentina, since this last expedition turned out so great.
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
CI has a Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), of which our Foja Mts expedition was a component. CI's RAP program surveys wonderful forest, aquatic, and marine sites around the world each year to learn more about them and to promote knowledge-driven conservation in these places...The data collected supports priority-setting, definition of conservation outcomes, and decision-making by local stakeholders and leaders..
Robert O'Sullivan:
I know the climate change discussions is coming up soon, but I had 2 climate change related questions: 1) Did you notice any species that were normally found at lower areas of the mountains.
2) The CI story mentions the oral traditions of the local people - did you talk to them about changes that they had noticed in the species in the area?
2) The CI story mentions the oral traditions of the local people - did you talk to them about changes that they had noticed in the species in the area?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
1. We did not see evidence of species elevational shifts on this trip, although it is important to look for this. In particular, it is important to visit some of the highest mountains in New Guinea to see how the alpine species that live only on these mountaintops are faring. For instance, the Alpine Robin (Petroica archboldi) lives only on the highest summits of Papua's central cordillera. We need to check to see if that species is suffering from changing conditions up there..
2. The local Kwerba and Papasena people did not mention any changes that they had noticed, but remember they are lowland groups that do not go high into the Foja Mts. But it is worth asking them about this. Good point! I will remember to ask this question with the groups I will be visiting in Papua New Guinea later this year...thanks!
2. The local Kwerba and Papasena people did not mention any changes that they had noticed, but remember they are lowland groups that do not go high into the Foja Mts. But it is worth asking them about this. Good point! I will remember to ask this question with the groups I will be visiting in Papua New Guinea later this year...thanks!
Macu:
Are there other similar efforts afoot to go into remote areas to find new species. If so when and where and who does this?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
CI's RAP program, and similar programs run by WWF-US and the Field Musuem of Natural History in Chicago, do just this - taking first looks at Earth's least-known and unsurveyed places (forest, rivers, marine ecosystems). It is wonderful work that is great fun to do!
Will Slawter:
These discoveries were big news stories all over the world. Were you surprised by the amount of coverage it received, and what was it about these discoveries that captured the attention of both the public and the media?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
We were as surprised as you were. It came out of the blue... I think it was a good news story in a rather dreary February news week and the world was looking for something a little different.
You know, the world has gotten so small, and so crowded that we all are looking for a little green space, ad the Foja Mts seemed of offer some refreshment and hope for the future, reason for optimism.
You know, the world has gotten so small, and so crowded that we all are looking for a little green space, ad the Foja Mts seemed of offer some refreshment and hope for the future, reason for optimism.
Will Slawter:
How does Conservation International decide what places in the world are worth exploring?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
A lot of it is based on the knowledge of local biodiversity experts - individuals who have been working their whole lives on particular corners of the Earth. They synthesize the past work that has been done, put this onto maps and GIS systems, and look for gaps in knowledge.
For instance, by mapping out all the places birds of paradise had been recorded on the island of New Guinea, I was able to see, in essence, where scientists and naturalists had worked on that great island. The blank spots then popped out as the places we had not yet gone. These, especially when they are isolated little mountain ranges, become a high priority...
For instance, by mapping out all the places birds of paradise had been recorded on the island of New Guinea, I was able to see, in essence, where scientists and naturalists had worked on that great island. The blank spots then popped out as the places we had not yet gone. These, especially when they are isolated little mountain ranges, become a high priority...
Sara M:
Can you explain the mix of emotions in finding new species when we know all signs are pointing to a massive extinction crisis?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
There a just so many new species out there!
Still it is great if you get to discover one yourself. In my case, as a bird man, finding the new smoky honeyeater was the first time I had bumped into a bird species that needed a name, so I was very very excited, indeed
But I also faced an existential dilemma about this new creature that my team mates had to help me thru. It had been so long that I had been working in New Guinea (more than 30 years) and since I had never encountered a new species, my cautious self did not want to admit that this was a new "species" - that raises the whole question of "species" vs. "subspecies" - what makes a "species" -- in this instance I polled my four scientific team mates and they reviewed the facts and assured me it was indeed a species, not a subspecies I was looking at. And ultimately it will be the wisdom of the scientific world that will resolve any doubt over time...
With regard to the extinction pulse you mentioned. We conservationists must remain optimisitic, and I am. I believe in a future for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and in a future for the Foja Mts. We all just have to pull together and work a little hard for this Earth of ours...
Still it is great if you get to discover one yourself. In my case, as a bird man, finding the new smoky honeyeater was the first time I had bumped into a bird species that needed a name, so I was very very excited, indeed
But I also faced an existential dilemma about this new creature that my team mates had to help me thru. It had been so long that I had been working in New Guinea (more than 30 years) and since I had never encountered a new species, my cautious self did not want to admit that this was a new "species" - that raises the whole question of "species" vs. "subspecies" - what makes a "species" -- in this instance I polled my four scientific team mates and they reviewed the facts and assured me it was indeed a species, not a subspecies I was looking at. And ultimately it will be the wisdom of the scientific world that will resolve any doubt over time...
With regard to the extinction pulse you mentioned. We conservationists must remain optimisitic, and I am. I believe in a future for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and in a future for the Foja Mts. We all just have to pull together and work a little hard for this Earth of ours...
Will Slawter:
What are you going to name the bird you discovered?
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
I am naming it after my wife...
Jennifer Carr (CI Web Editor):
Well, that's about all the time we have for today. Thank you for joining us in our inaugural CI Live event.
As a little souvenir, we put together a screensaver of photos from the Foja Mountains Expedition.
Windows Version | Macintosh Version
Be sure to visit discuss.conservation.org for upcoming discussions.
As a little souvenir, we put together a screensaver of photos from the Foja Mountains Expedition.
Windows Version | Macintosh Version
Be sure to visit discuss.conservation.org for upcoming discussions.
Bruce Beehler, Ph.D.:
Thank you all for your very good questions. It is nice to know you care!
Thank you Jennifer for helping me with this new technology!
Thank you Jennifer for helping me with this new technology!