The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has announced the list of 145 new
species discovered in the Mekong River region since 2009 as a
proof for the “biological treasure” of the river.
Among newly-recorded plants, three were in Cambodia , including a
carnivorous plant named Nepenthes Bokorensis in the Cambodian southern
province of Kampot . It has a climbing length of up to seven metres,
with insect-trapping pitchers that can grow to 25 cm and roots can be
used as concoction to ease body pain.
According to
the WWF, scientists are making proposals to include the carnivorous
plant in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The other species discovered in the country were a tropical herb in
Ratanakkiri province and a yellow-flowered plant in northern Cambodia
. The latter was also found in Southeastern Thailand .
In Vietnam, a frog that sounds like a cricket was found in the central
province of Quang Nam while a fish, measuring up to 17mm, with fangs at
the front of each jaw was found in a small stream in Myanmar.
Other 58 species were also discovered in Thailand .
From 1997 to 2008, 1,231 new species were found in the Mekong river
basin, however, biodiversity of the basin is seriously threatened, the
WWF said./.
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