Brazil ranks first in the world in potential new species discovery – study

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A country of continental proportions, with such a wide range of biomes, climates and altitudes can easily harbor the world’s greatest variety of plant and animal species yet to be classified by science. This is Brazil in 2021, according to a study published in Nature, Ecology and Evolution scientific journal.

Using computer-calculated mathematical models, the research shows that 70% of potential species discoveries are concentrated in only 10 countries, including Brazil, which alone accounts for 10% of all species yet to be described.

The Amazon and Atlantic Forests account for 60% of the country’s discovery potential, says Brazilian biologist Mario Moura, a researcher at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), who led the study and created the algorithm for calculating the probability of discovering new species based on land vertebrates.

“In smaller animal groups, such as invertebrates and small amphibians, the potential for discovery is immense. In botany, we also have a biodiversity capable of generating many new species all the time,” says biologist Paulo de Tarso Antas, a wild bird researcher, member of the Pro-Nature Foundation (FUNATURA) and member of the Network of Experts in Nature Conservation.

Identifying, studying, and cataloging species is an extensive and arduous job. Recent estimates show that planet Earth has 8.7 million species of fauna and flora, of which only 1.5 million are described in scientific documents.

“We certainly have the potential for discovering new species. This is due to our great size and the diversity of our environments. There are 3.5 million km2 of marine coastline. In this area we have mangroves, sandbanks, dunes and other associated biomes. In altitude, Brazil has biomes that vary from [sea level to] 3,000 meters. Knowing and understanding the dynamics of species and ecosystems is extremely necessary,” says Marion Silva, Science and
Conservation manager of the Boticário Group Foundation.

Scientific discoveries

The process of identifying and cataloging new species of fauna and flora demands refined technical knowledge and much experience with the existing biodiversity in certain places. This is the only way to differentiate between rarer and more common species, explains Hudson Pinheiro, a scientist at the Marine Biology Center of the University of São Paulo (USP) and a deep water diver at the California Academy of Sciences.

According to the scientist, it is possible to find species that have already been described, but have never been catalogued in certain regions. The role of museums is crucial, since they keep vast scientific archives with records and animal and plant specimens, with their respective characteristics and habitats.

“In my area [deep dives], we have found six species never seen and cataloged in only two different expeditions. The discovery rate is two new species per hour of exploration in deep environments,” explains Pinheiro, who is also a member of the Nature Conservation Specialists Network.

However, for definitive registration, the time frame for cataloging and naming a given discovery can be as long as 10 years, Pinheiro says. “It is a job that needs comparison between individuals, comparison between many other species. It is very specific. Unfortunately, there are species discovered a long time ago that are still being processed. Science is lacking taxonomists – professionals who name and classify species.”

Genetics – the process of comparing specimens using DNA similarity characteristics – is one of the tools being used to shorten the process of discovering and classifying new species, the scientist recalls.

World Environment Day

On Saturday, June 5, World Environment Day was celebrated, instituted in 1974 by the United Nations Organization (UNO) to raise countries’ awareness of the importance of ecological preservation of fauna and flora on a global scale.

For 2021, the Reimagine, Recreate, Restore campaign was launched as the kick-off event for the so-called 2021-2030 Ecosystem Restoration Decade – a strategic plan for UN signatory countries that seeks to fund rehabilitation efforts for devastated green areas on all continents.

Based in Pakistan, the event features a global report that addresses the recovery of ecosystems that have come close to extinction and had their area dramatically reduced. According to the goals presented, signatory countries must commit to restoring 1 billion hectares of deforested biomes within 10 years.

“We live in a finite world and we depend on our surroundings, the environment. Everything we demand in our daily lives stems from nature. We need to draw attention to the interdependence of living beings and to the ethical viewpoint: we came to this planet as a species and we need to preserve other species as well,” says biologist Paulo de Tarso Antas.

Source: Agência Brasil