GunjanSlightly Aware
The local people of Mount Mabu were slightly aware of the existence of the forest, yet, the forest was obscured. It held a variety of plants and animal species. As the scientists started studying the forest, they noted many unrecorded species, which made the scientists more curious about the rainforest of Mount Lico.
Snake Or Bat?
Snakes usually come under the category of reptilia. A snake was discovered by scientists known as Atheris mabuensis which is a type of bat called Rhinolophus mabuensis. Though it is a snake it exhibits the characteristics of a bat. Hence, scientists placed it under the category of bats and its further studies would be done considering it as a bat.
Peek-A-Boo
Other than Atheris mabuensis, scientists discovered more species. A small chameleon referred to as Nadzikambia baylissi has also been discovered there. And with plants, a type of mistletoe called Helixanthera schizocalyx lives in the forest. That was just the start of the discovery, more was yet to be discovered.
Exploration Needed
Scientists have also discovered another five species of plants for the first time in the forest of Mount Mabu along with other snake species and several new sorts of butterflies as well. Researchers believed that more new animals and plants could be found on more exploration.
Protection
As people got to know about the woodlands on Mabu, their protection was the primary concern of the environmentalists. Therefore, in 2009, a regulation to ensure the area’s conservation was imposed by the leaders of Mozambique. With this, human indulgence was minimized in the discovered forest.
Their Aim
In June 2009, while having a conversation with The Guardian stated that “as scientists, it is incredibly exciting to go into a previously unexplored area and discover new species of butterfly, snake, and chameleon.” He added, “but our aim was always to secure pledges of conservation towards the protection of these sites.”