New-Found Species in Papua, Indonesia

At the and of the year 2005, a group of scientists organized an international exhibition called Foja Expedition to explore wildlife of the isolated Foja Mountains on Papua Island ( Indonesia's part or New Guinea ) in the tropical South Pacific. The expedition was sponsored by US-based Conservation International (CI), the Indonesian Institute of Sciences ( LIPI ), Cendrawasih University and Papua Institute of Conservation and Nature Resource. They trekked through an area in the mist-shrouded Foja Mountains, located just north the vast Mamberamo Basin of north-western ( Indonesian ) New Guinea,one of Asia's most isolated jungles. This area is a big virgin jungle, part of Mamberamo River stream the biggest river in Papua.

After spending nearly a month in the locality, the rechears discovered a trove of animals never before documented: new species of frogs, butterflies, plants, and an orange-faced honey eater, the first ne bird from island of Papua in more than 60 years. It's like a lost world has been found. The discoveries have led researches to conclude that more than 300,000 hectares(750,000 acres) of ole-growth tropical forest in the Foja Mountains remain untouched by humans. The team's main discoveries are :

- A new species of hone eater, the first new bird species discovered on the island of Papua since 1939

- The formerly unknown breeding grounds of a "lost" bird of paradise-the six-wired bird o paradise ( Parotia berlepschi )

- First photographs of the golden-fronted bower bird displaying as its bower.

- A new large mammal for Indonesia, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo ( dendrolagus pulcherimmus )

- More than 20 new species of frogs, including a tiny microhylid frog less than 14 mm ( a half inch ) long

- A series of previously under scribed plant species, including five new species of palms

- A white-flowered rhododrendon with flower about 15cm across

- Four new butterfly species.

Papua's forest in the furthest reaches of the Indonesian province of Papua ( Irian ) are some of the most bio diverse in the world, but they are increasingly under threat from commercial logging. However, the Foja Mountains are so isolated they remain untouched by human.
They also found animals, which supposed to exitinc, such as Smoky Honey-eater Bird and Golden-fronted Bower bird. The last found of this species, 1895 in Europe, was in a preserved form. The Biological Scientist thought that the bird was from a Dutch colony area in East Asia. Now, after 110 year past,this species found on Papua Island in the most eastern part of Indonesia.
Before this expedition there have been similiar expeditions on the surrounding area, namely Wapoga Expedition was focused on the jungle beyond Mamberamo River, estuary of Manirim and Hotice species of plants 24 of which are palms and 5 of them are new-found species.

reff : Philatelic Division, Pos Indonesia