The discoveries in Mkhambathi Nature Reserve on South Africa's
Wild Coast were made by scientists and volunteers from
Earthwatch during an eight-day period in 2008. The scientists
were working in partnership with Eastern Cape Parks, the
government organisation that manages the protected areas in the
Eastern Cape Province. Earthwatch scientist Dr. Michelle Hamer
of the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the
University of KwaZulu-Natal explains the significance of the
findings: "These discoveries are important because they
highlight just how little we know about our biodiversity, even
in a relatively well studied country like South Africa. This
particular area is also threatened by the construction of a
major motorway nearby and by mining of the dunes in the adjacent
area. There is also a lot of pressure to develop tourism
infrastructure inside the reserve. This means that many of these
species could have disappeared before they were even discovered
by scientists." Dr. Hamer says: "At least if we