31 March 2009

Scientists from the Tropical Biology Institute have discovered nine new species of amphibians-reptiles in the Can Gio mangrove forest in HCM City.

The nine new species include: water toad, green racophorus, black gecko, grey salamander, and five new species of snakes.

However, they announced that they didn’t see lilac crocodile and two species of snakes, which lived in the forest in the past.

The discovery is the result of a scientific research project conducted from September 2006 to March 2008 by Nguyen Ngoc Sang and his co-workers from the Tropical Biology Institute.

Scientists conducted five surveys, each survey lasting seven days, in Can Gio. The surveys show that three species of snakes, which were present in the forest in the past, are not there anymore.

Before the Vietnam War, Can Gio belonged to the southern province of Dong Nai and it was a mangrove forest which had abundant floral and fauna species. The war turned this area into a dead land.

In 1979, HCM City launched a campaign to re-grow Can Gio forest. On January 21, 2001, this forest was recognised by UNESCO’s Human and Biosphere Program as the first biosphere reserve of Vietnam.