1,200 New species discoveries Introduction Humans have lived in the <strong>Amazon</strong> region for over 11,000 years 10 . But it was not until the 16th century that the <strong>Amazon</strong> river was first navigated by a Spanish explorer and conquistador, Don Francisco de Orellana (1511-1546). In search <strong>of</strong> vast forests <strong>of</strong> cinnamon and the fabled city <strong>of</strong> gold, El Dorado, Orellana left Quito, Ecuador in February 1541. The expedition found neither cinnamon nor gold, but rather the greatest river on Earth – arriving at the junction <strong>of</strong> the Napo and the <strong>Amazon</strong> on 11 February 1542. Orellana named the ‘newly-discovered’ river the Rio de Orellana, a name that would later be abandoned in favour <strong>of</strong> the more familiar Rio <strong>Amazon</strong>as, named after the mythical tribe <strong>of</strong> warrior women. It was a great many years before another <strong>Amazon</strong> expedition – the first to travel all the way upriver. In 1637-38, the first detailed information about the <strong>Amazon</strong> and its natural history and people was recorded by Father Cristobal de Acuña, who travelled as part <strong>of</strong> a large expedition led by the Portuguese general Pedro Teixeira. He noted amazingly precise data on the length and size <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Amazon</strong>, and the topography <strong>of</strong> its course, with detailed descriptions <strong>of</strong> the flooded forest areas along the river, the farming systems and crops <strong>of</strong> the indigenous people, and aquatic fauna. The first ‘modern’ scientific exploration <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Amazon</strong> region was by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Jacques Goujaud Bonpland, who would prove the existence <strong>of</strong> a water connection between the <strong>Amazon</strong> and Orinoco river systems. After von Humboldt, a number <strong>of</strong> scientific explorers and adventurers came – including von Spix and von Martius, who made huge botanical and zoological collections in the Brazilian <strong>Amazon</strong> in 1817-1820. Henry William Bates, who spent 11 years in the interior <strong>of</strong> <strong>Amazon</strong>ia, amassed the single largest collection <strong>of</strong> insects ever made by one individual in the region, collecting nearly 15,000 species, about 8,000 <strong>of</strong> which were new to science. Protected areas Increases in the coverage <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Amazon</strong> protected area network, and with it the securing <strong>of</strong> important habitats, ecosystems, and biological diversity, have certainly aided scientists in their discoveries <strong>of</strong> new species. One <strong>of</strong> the most high-pr<strong>of</strong>ile protected areas is Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, established in 2002. The park’s borders were strategically designed to protect its high biodiversity and were conceived by <strong>WWF</strong> and IBAMA (the Brazilian Institute <strong>of</strong> Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), under the guidance <strong>of</strong> Brazil’s Ministry <strong>of</strong> the Environment. At 38,800 sq km, the park is the world’s largest tropical forest national park – equivalent in size to Switzerland. Threatened species there include jaguars and harpy eagles, animals that require large areas <strong>of</strong> rainforest for their survival. With support from the <strong>Amazon</strong> Region Protected Areas (ARPA) programme, by the end <strong>of</strong> <strong>2009</strong> a total <strong>of</strong> 25 million hectares <strong>of</strong> new protected areas had been created in the Brazilian <strong>Amazon</strong>, more than doubling the area under protection prior to the programme’s initiation. The park’s designation was the first success <strong>of</strong> the ARPA programme, which is securing long-term protection for some <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Amazon</strong>’s most important biological and ecological features in a system <strong>of</strong> well-managed parks and reserves. In protecting key portions <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Amazon</strong> forest, ARPA is also providing security to numerous local communities that depend on the forest, while protecting an amazing range <strong>of</strong> bird, mammal, fish, reptile and amphibian species. It is expected that ARPA will eventually support the establishment and effective management <strong>of</strong> 60 million hectares (600,000 sq km) <strong>of</strong> protected areas in the Brazilian <strong>Amazon</strong>. 8 amazon alive! I a decade <strong>of</strong> discovery <strong>1999</strong>-<strong>2009</strong>
1a. © Fernando Rivadavia 1b. 1c. © Evan Twomey 1a. Drosera amazonica (<strong>Amazon</strong> sundew) 1b. Ameerega pepperi 1c. Cyriocosmus nogueiranetoi © Rogerio Bertani The Tumucumaque Mountains National Park in Brazil is equivalent in size to Switzerland. It borders the Guiana <strong>Amazon</strong>ian Park in French Guiana, providing ample room for species that require large territories, such as the jaguar and harpy eagle. © Kitt Nascimento amazon alive! I a decade <strong>of</strong> discovery <strong>1999</strong>-<strong>2009</strong> 9
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