In the Andean foothills of the Peruvian Amazon, Trond Larsen carefully scanned the forest floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Out of the corner of his eye, a dark brown frog with a long snout hopped across the leaves, briefly exposing a bright pink underbelly. Larsen immediately knew what it was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once a common sight, this harlequin frog (Atelopus seminiferus<\/em>) is now extremely rare. By all accounts, it shouldn\u2019t have been there at all, said Larsen, a biologist at Conservation International.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI almost couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d he said. \u201cNot only is this frog endangered, but this species has never been found this low on the mountainside. It was our first important discovery \u2014 and it was a harbinger of more to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Researchers were surprised to find a number of harlequin frogs\u00a0<\/em>(Atelopus seminiferus)\u00a0<\/em>during the expedition.<\/em><\/p>\n The frog, discovered during a research expedition as part of Conservation International\u2019s Rapid Assessment Program<\/a>, For an expedition like this \u2014 designed, as the program\u2019s name suggests, to find as many species as possible in a short amount of time \u2014 the setting was unusual. Rather than a \u201cpristine\u201d forest far from human activity The researchers say the expedition\u2019s findings<\/a> are proof that nature and people can thrive side by side \u2014 but action must be taken now to preserve it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe know very little about the planet\u2019s biodiversity, and these ecosystems hold so many mysteries,\u201d said Wily Palomino, a Conservation International biologist who was part of the expedition. \u201cIt would take 10 lifetimes to truly A member of the Indigenous<\/em>\u00a0Awaj\u00fan community captures fish to assist with the research.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Over the course of 38 days, the researchers trudged through swamps, lagoons and rivers, climbed mountains to cloud forests, and crossed farm fields. All the while, the team of 20, including Indigenous guides and scientists from Global Earth, collected The Alto Mayo is known to be home to extraordinary biodiversity. Still, the findings stunned the researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The team recorded more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, including 27 that are new to science and 49 that are threatened with extinction. Notably, four of the new discoveries were mammal species.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMammals are the best-known animal group in the world \u2014 so discovering four new mammals in any expedition is surprising,\u201d Larsen said. \u201cFinding them in a region with significant human populations is extraordinary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Among the new discoveries: an amphibious mouse. The semi-aquatic species lives in an ecosystem known as aguajales<\/em> \u2014 swampy areas dominated by aguaje palm trees. Spotted in an area designated as an ecosystem recovery zone, deforestation The newly discovered amphibious mouse belongs to a group of semi-aquatic rodents that are among the rarest in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n Mammals weren\u2019t the only discoveries that made the researchers question what they thought they knew about the forest, Palomino said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Take a humble dung beetle.\u00a0<\/p>\n Typically found only in forests that haven’t been damaged by human activity, certain dung beetle species are indicators of a healthy habitat, he said. Yet there they were, in the middle of a forest with clear scars where humans had felled trees, as \u201cThis discovery made us rethink what might be happening in these habitats,\u201d Palomino said. \u201cWhy are primary forest species showing up in secondary forests? It\u2019s an area that needs further investigation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Many researchers hypothesize that in fragmented forested areas, there is little biodiversity, he said. That\u2019s why areas like the Alto Mayo have largely been ignored by researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n This expedition challenges those views.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe discovery of so many new and threatened species was so surprising, in part, because it was a nearly blank slate \u2014 no one has ever really looked,\u201d Palomino said. \u201cNow, we\u2019re proving the unexpected: Small patches of A rare hummingbird (Lophornis delattrei). The expedition documented 536 bird species, 26 of which are threatened with extinction.<\/em><\/p>\n Roughly 280,000 people reside in the Alto Mayo landscape, including the Indigenous Awaj\u00fan people. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, many in their community had to rent their lands to migrant farmers to make ends meet.\u00a0<\/p>\n This practice led to an alarming rise in deforestation, said Diego Dourojeanni, who leads Conservation International\u2019s work with the Indigenous peoples of the Alto Mayo.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCommunities didn\u2019t deforest their land because they wanted to \u2014 it was out of necessity,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile it helped in the short term, it became clear that this practice came at a steep cost to resources, food security An area within the Alto Mayo that has been logged for agriculture. Deforestation remains a persistent threat in the region.<\/em><\/p>\n For more than a decade, Conservation International has worked with the Awaj\u00fan people and local communities to address deforestation by building alternative livelihood sources, such as selling medicinal teas and vanilla, and practicing agroforestry The recent expedition was borne out of these efforts, the start of an ambitious strategy to connect remaining patches of high biodiversity within the Alto Mayo and create a protected conservation corridor that is essential for the long-term survival \u201cTo effectively protect nature, you first need to know what\u2019s there,\u201d Dourojeanni said. \u201cBy understanding where wildlife lives, we can make better land management decisions and target areas that are best suited for conservation Yet a better understanding of what resides in the forest isn\u2019t only important for economic reasons, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want people to value forests and resources in a more emotional way,\u201d Dourojeanni said. \u201cBecause the truth is that if it’s just for income’s sake, it’s really, really hard to compete with agricultural drivers of deforestation. Compared with a decade ago, Dourojeanni said there are signs of progress. Communities are renting their land out less, and he sees a greater understanding of the importance of protecting their forests.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not too late yet,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we do the right thing, people and nature can co-exist on this landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cicloud.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/non-vault-images-s3\/frog.jpg?sfvrsn=d841b817_1&&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
\u00a9 Trond Larsen<\/span><\/p>\n
\n was one of many species recently spotted in a Peruvian landscape stretching from the Andes to the Amazon, a complex and diverse mosaic of ecosystems and local communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n where one would expect to find an abundance of wildlife, this area, known as the Alto Mayo, has an abundance of human settlements and deforestation remains persistently commonplace. Just moments before discovering the frog, Larsen had crossed
\n a muddy logging track, where a donkey pulled a cart of fresh-cut timber through the forest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n understand them. Expeditions like this are just the beginning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cicloud.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/vault-images-s3\/ci_42736082_full.jpg?sfvrsn=fbd8db17_1&&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
\u00a9 Trond Larsen<\/span><\/p>\nA trove of discoveries\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n samples, set up camera traps and nets, and kept a keen eye out for movements and signs of animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n for rice farming threatens the mouse\u2019s unique habitat. This species, which likely only lives in the Alto Mayo, belongs to a group of semi-aquatic rodents for which most of the known species are extremely rare, Larsen said. Documenting even
\n one individual is a huge accomplishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cicloud.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/vault-images-s3\/ci_60038913_full.jpg?sfvrsn=4120a6c3_5&&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
\u00a9 Conservation International\/photo by Ronald Diaz<\/span><\/p>\n
\n well as in coffee plantations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n healthy forests can support a wealth of species.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cicloud.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/vault-images-s3\/ci_80082536_full.jpg?sfvrsn=d3241980_1&&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
\u00a9 Conservation International\/photo by MarlonDag<\/span><\/p>\nA vision for the future\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n and the ecosystem services like clean water that the forests provide.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cicloud.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/vault-images-s3\/ci_55588037_full.jpg?sfvrsn=cc3838df_1&&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
\u00a9 Trond Larsen<\/span><\/p>\n
\n with cocoa and
\n coffee beans<\/a>. Critically, they\u2019re also focused on improving the governance of the Awaj\u00fan
\n communities to ensure equitable and sustainable management of their territory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n of the region\u2019s wildlife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n and sustainable activities like ecotourism, selective logging and sustainable agriculture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n And
\n traditional knowledge<\/a> on how to use the forest is at risk of being lost in a generation or two.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cicloud.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/vault-images-s3\/ci_12982422_full.jpg?sfvrsn=a970635a_3&&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")