A Lost World in the Philippines

This is news about a month old, but it is worth repeating here. This is about the discovery by scientists of an international expedition of over five thousand new species around Panglao island of the Philippines. Among them are crabs, lobsters, and mollusks. The discovery was part of the Panglao Marine Biodiversity Project.

The fact that there are still thousands of unknown creatures in the Philippines is hardly surprising. While it is an accepted fact that the archipelago is host to many unique lifeforms, little effort has been made to look for them or study their environments due to lack of funding or scientists to undertake the research.

It was fortunate that these new animals were found since pollution and other environmental stresses may actually be wiping out many of them. It is possible that some unnamed creatures may have already become extinct due to human carelessness. What could be the best way to preserve this "lost world" of the Philippines? Photo is by Bullit MarquezAssociated Press as seen in http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070206-new-species.html?source=rss