A combined group of biologists from the United States, Britain, and Papua New Guinea trekked into the volcanic crater of Papua New Guinea’s Mount Bosavi recently and discovered over 40 new species of creatures never before seen by humankind.
Due to its steep walls and deep landscape floor, the animals inhabiting the crater have been allowed to evolve in isolation for an unknown span of years, likely measurable in decades, if not hundreds of years. New species encountered include what is now the world’s largest rat, a group of tree-dwelling kangaroos, and frogs with fangs, among many others.
These are just the fauna found during five weeks of exploration; there are likely more new critters out there waiting to be discovered. Imagine what wonders might be found when the botanists hit the ground? This is a clear opportunity to speak with your children about the importance of preserving the environment. With the world’s rainforests being consumed at a rather frightening rate, some of the greatest resources available to modern medicine is also vanishing, never to be synthesized. Not to mention the simple responsibility we all hold to preserve the natural habitats of all wildlife.
It’s not unlikely that our kids could grow up to be policymakers, able to dictate how the United States views the rest of the world. Now is the time to instill in them a love of, and respect for nature in all its forms. Sometimes the world seems too large a place to consider; thinking globally often feels like Someone Else’s Problem. So the key is to start small, and get children interested in what happens in their own backyards. Go for hikes locally, visit zoos, watch documentaries — anything you can do to make the wild places a real thing. Protecting nature is everyone’s responsibility, and it starts right at home.
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