7 Feb 2006

Researchers find hundreds of new species in Papuan Garden of Eden

9:13 pm on 7 February 2006

A team of researchers say they have found hundreds of new species during a trip to a mountainous region in Indonesia's Papua province.

The new species include birds, frogs, butterflies and palms.

Bruce Beehler, of Conservation International, who led the expedition last November and December, says it is as close to the Garden of Eden as you'd find on Earth.

He says it is probably the most pristine ecosystem in the whole Asian-Pacific region and they have only scratched the surface of what is there.

The scientists hope to return to Papua later this year.