There are 133 plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish, 10 amphibians, a reptile, a bird and a mammal that confirm this region as one of the richest and most surprising ecosystems on the planet.
In the list of new species there is, for example, a dwarf blue fish that can breathe out of water and survive on land for up to four days; a monkey with its nose turned upside down that sneezes every time it rains; and a viper – called a pit with a lanced head – that looks like a real jewel.
This report also warns of threats looming in the area, which includes Bhutan, northwestern India, northern Myanmar and southern Tibet. Apart from the ubiquitous climate change, the increasing population, deforestation, intensive grazing, poaching, species trafficking and the construction of large dams have placed hundreds of the species that live there in the category of “threatened ”. Only 25% of the original habitats remain intact.
