52 new species discovered in Borneo

At least 52 new types of plants and animals have been discovered in the last 12 months in the eco-tourist paradise of Borneo.

Two tree frogs, 16 ginger flowers, three trees and one large-leafed plant species from the south-east Asian island have now joined the scientific arc, claims the World Wildlife Fund.

But the most startling finds were in the waters surrounding the world's third largest island.

The world's second smallest vertebrate, measuring less than a centimetre in length, was found in highly acidic blackwater peat swamps between July 2005 and September 2006, along with six Siamese fighting fish and a catfish with protruding teeth and an adhesive underbelly that allows it to stick to rocks.

Stuart Chapman, international coordinator of the Heart of Borneo programme, said: "These discoveries reaffirm Borneo's position as one of the most important centres of biodiversity in the world.

"The remote and inaccessible forests in the heart of Borneo are one of the world's final frontiers for science and many undiscovered species are still waiting to be found there."

Tours into the 'heart of Borneo', a 220,000 km sq mountainous region of rainforest, are becoming increasingly popular on the island but conservationists are concerned about large areas of the ecosystem being cleared for rubber, oil palm and pulp production.