Why the Foja Mountains unique?
“The Foja Mountains are a virtual island where species have evolved for millennia,” explains John Francis, Vice President for Research, Conservation and Exploration at National Geographic in a press release. Ornithologist, Neville Kemp, was also lucky: he discovered an unknown species of imperial pigeon (Ducula sp.
What is threatening the Foja Mountains?
History. The mountains have no record of visitors prior to 1979 (Stattersfield et al. 1998). Much of the area around the Foja Mountains and nearby Van Rees Mountains are too steep for conventional logging, and are considered unsafe due to their inaccessibility.
How large was the Foja mountain area they found?
740,000 acres
In the Foja Mountains there are more than 740,000 acres (300,000 hectares) of old-growth tropical forest that are apparently never visited by humans.
Why are the Foja Mountains in New Guinea?
Richness is a word that certainly describes Foja. Over the course of millions of years, the Australian continental plate crept northward, plowing up sea floor and causing it to compress into the New Guinea land mass.
How tall are the Foja Mountains in Indonesia?
The Foja Mountains (Foja Range, Foya Mountains) (Indonesian: Pegunungan Foja) are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to 2,193 metres (7,195 ft), and have 3,000 square kilometres of old growth tropical rainforest in the interior part of the range.
Are there any roads in the Foja Mountains?
The 3,000 square kilometers of mountainous jungle appear to have been untouched by humans until the 2006 scientific expedition. There are no roads in the mountains, so scientists had to travel by helicopter, landing on a boggy lakebed. Six permits were needed before the 11-member team could legally enter.
Who are the scientists in the Foja Mountains?
The expedition team was co-led by Bruce Beehler and Stephen Richards and included scientists from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Cenderawasih University, the Smithsonian Institution, Conservation International and other institutions. In February 2006, the expedition team released details of new species including: