They have been found around the Kikori region surrounding Lake Kutubu. WWF forest ecologist Olo Gebia is quoted to have said:
“Around 70 species of orchid that used to exist in the forests of neighboring Indonesia have become extinct because of illegal logging,” “So these recent discoveries are especially good news.”
“The island of New Guinea is an incredible goldmine of orchids,”
said botanist Wayne Harris, one of the world’s leading authorities on orchids.
WWF, with the Kutubu Joint Venture Partnership, is working for the long-term preservation of the Kikori region and the remarkable range of plants and animals that it supports including birds of paradise, giant cassowaries, and the enigmatic tree kangaroo.
Hope these discoveries do not make this region a target for tourism that destroys that destroys it.
Via: Xinhua
