Over 100 new species found; Premier praises scientists

KUCHING: Sarawak has identified more than a hundred new species of plants and animals, including 24 species of amphibians and reptiles, over the past two decades.

Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg praised the efforts of local and international scientists in discovering these new species.

“Scientists from various agencies, Sarawak Forest Department, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, international counterparts such as Smithsonian, as well as our own Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (IBEC) Unimas, have in the past two decades described over a hundred new species of plants and animals, including 24 species of amphibians and reptiles.

“Over the past two years, specifically in 2023 and 2024, we have been in the process of documenting 18 newly discovered species, with 12 of them being frog species.

“In fact, one of the small frogs has been named after me,” he said when officiating at the 10th World Congress of Herpetology at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Monday.

Abang Johari added that the newly identified species also include cockroaches, beetles and lizards.

“Among those involved in the description of these new species is the Director of the WCH10 Congress, Professor Indraneil Das,” he said.

Abang Johari said Sarawak will continue to promote scientific exploration of these new species and collaborate with researchers within Sarawak, as well as those in Malaysia and internationally.

On the same note, he said that SFC currently maintains more than 18 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with local and international academic and corporate institutions.

“This includes collaborations with the National University of Singapore, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.

“Next week, I will witness more MoUs to be signed by SFC in its efforts to keep up with current developments, work, and the implementation of good science,” he said.