7 new biological discoveries made over 10-year span

…new species include bats, trees, lizards

In celebration of International Biodiversity Day under the theme “Building a shared future for all life”, the Iwokrama International Centre has released research data that has led to the discoveries of new species over the past decade.

Seven new species have been discovered by the centre in the Iwokrama Forest that are new to science.
However, since more recent studies have been expanded to new taxa, it is expected that over the next few years, this number can well increase.
These discoveries, according to the Iwokrama International Centre, cement the importance of the Iwokrama protected area as a valuable biological “laboratory” as envisaged over thirty years ago when a collaboration between the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth was sealed to set aside the 371,000 hectares of intact tropical rainforest for research and development inclusive of sustainable use models.

The seven new species discovered over the last decade are Stilbella iwokramensis (Ascomycotina, Hypocreales), a new entomopathogenic species (new beetle pathogen species distinguished from other fungi of the genus Stilbella; Carapa akuri, a new tree species belonging to the family Meliaceae, considered endemic to Central Guyana; Microcaecilia iwokramae (Synonym Caecilita iwokramae), a new genus and species of lungless caecilian; Gonatodes timidus, a new species of lizard; Allobates amissibilis, a new species of frog; a new species of broad-nosed bat Platyrrhinus guianensis Saussure from the Guiana Shield is described based on molecular and morphological data; and a new species of beetle Lycomorphon iwokrama.
The Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) was established in 1996 under a joint mandate from the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat to manage the Iwokrama forest, a unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of the rainforest “in a manner that will lead to lasting ecological, economic and social benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general”.
The centre, guided by an international Board of Trustees, is unique in providing a dedicated well managed and researched forest environment. The forest is zoned into a Sustainable Utilisation Area (SUA) and a Wilderness Preserve (WP) in which to test the concept of a truly sustainable forest where conservation, environmental balance, and economic use can be mutually reinforcing.
The IIC collaborates with the Government of Guyana, the Commonwealth, and other international partners and donors to develop new approaches and forest management models to enable countries with rainforests to market their ecosystem services whilst carefully managing their resources through innovative and creative conservation practices.
In more recent years, the centre has received support from corporate partners such as Exxon Mobil (Guyana) Limited which has funded the development of its Science Programme and continues to provide an annual contribution to the implementation of this programme.