New Species Identified in Peru's High Andean Forests

The mouse Akodon sp. nov (Photo courtesy ECOAN)

They also found a small mouse, Akodon sp. nov, they say has probably never been identified before.

Confirmed as new species are a high Andes wetlands plant, Senecio sanmarcosensis, and the two beetles, Eriopis canrash and Cycloneda andresii. The four species were all discovered during a series of expeditions conducted between 2005 and 2008.

The Peruvian conservation group Asociacion de Ecosistemas Andinos, or ECOAN, and the Washington, DC-based group Conservation International are partners in the discoveries.

"Conservation International is very proud to be part of this initiative. The discovery of the species allows us to highlight the importance of the Polylepis forest ecosystems because of its high concentration of biodiversity and because of its function as water sources for many of the communities living in the area,” said Luis Espinel, executive director of Conservation International in Peru.

New Andes wetlands plant, Senecio sanmarcosensis (Photo courtesy ECOAN)

With the participation of local communities, ECOAN works to protect Peru's Polylepis forests, commonly called by their Spanish name, quenuales.

"It has been an amazing experience to have participated in a scientific expedition, studied the biodiversity of 13 Andean forests," said Constantino Auca, ECOAN's president. "You get to know the landscapes and overall, you have the chance to talk to the local population."

The quenuales forests, where these species live, are vital to limiting soil erosion. They are reservoirs for water that is critical to the valley populations and at the same time, they produce oxygen, so vital to life in the thin air of the high Andes.

The mouse lives between 2,880 meters (9,449 feet) and 4,733 meters (15,528 feet) above sea level and is only found in the Ancash region. The scientists who found the mouse say it plays an important role in controlling insect populations and dispersing seeds throughout the ecosystem.

The plant is part of the high-Andean wetlands vegetation that serves as a water reservoir for the local villages and purifies the mountain water that sustains communities at the foot of the mountains. The plant blooms between May and July, and it is found in only three locations, all above 4,500 meters (14,764 feet).

ECOAN believes that, using IUCN's Red List criteria, this endemic plant species should be listed as Near Threatened because it is only found in a handful of areas that face threats such as unsustainable shepherding.

Local residents depend on the Polylepis forests. (Photo courtesy ECOAN)

The two beetles are unique creatures that control the aphid and Acarus populations that devastate crops of importance to local communities.

More than 130 families from four local communities - Aquia, Huasta, Challhuayaco and Pujun - live in the quenuales forests and depend on them for firewood and other resources such as medicinal plants.

The major threats to these ecosystems include uncontrolled logging, unsustainable shepherding practices, forest fires and mining, say the conservation groups.

The four communities are supporting the conservation and restoration of the Polylepis forests using conservation agreements, a tool promoted by Conservation International in partnership with ECOAN and the Instituto Montaña, with the sponsorship of the Asociación Ancash and the Compañía Minera Antamina S.A.

In order to achieve long-term conservation of these areas, the groups say it is crucial to declare them Private Conservation Areas and to maintain long-term financial support for the conservation agreements, which provide economic alternatives to the local communities.

The high Andean forests of Polylepis trees, with their multi-layered, papery bark, are inhabited by many other animals, such as the mountain lion, the Andean cat, the North Andean deer, and the Southern viscacha, a species of rodent related to chincillas.

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