本集内容

What scientists have found living in Mozambique's hidden forest 科学家在莫桑比克的隐秘森林中发现新生物

文字稿

Professor Julian Bayliss, Explorer and ecologist
"Welcome to Eden, welcome to the centre of Mabu Forest. This is about as good as it gets."

朱利安·贝里斯教授     探险家和生态学家
“欢迎来到伊甸园——麻布森林的中心地带。这里是这座森林最棒的地方了。”

There are still places on Earth that humans have hardly touched.

地球上还有许多人类鲜有涉足的地方。

Professor Julian Bayliss, Explorer and ecologist
"The forest is in excellent condition, the water is crystal clear."

朱利安·贝里斯教授     探险家和生态学家
“这座森林的状态绝佳，水源清澈见底。”

Mabu Forest is one of them.

麻布森林就是其中之一。

This place was for a long time only known to locals.

这个地方长时间以来仅被当地人所知。

Then 20 years ago, a mysterious dark green patch was spotted on satellite images by explorer and ecologist Professor Julian Bayliss.

直到 20 年前，卫星照片上一抹神秘的深绿色吸引了探险家和生态学家朱丽安·贝里斯教授的注意。

When he went to check it out on the ground, he couldn't believe his eyes.

在他到实地考察过后，他简直不敢相信自己的亲眼所见。

Professor Julian Bayliss, Explorer and ecologist
"We found the largest rainforest in Southern Africa."

朱利安·贝里斯教授     探险家和生态学家
“我们找到了非洲南部最大的热带雨林。”

What came next was a race against time, to reveal Mabu's secrets in the hope that it would lead to the forest being protected.

接下来就是一场与时间的赛跑，他希望通过揭示麻布森林隐秘的生态环境来使其得到保护。

We joined Professor Bayliss and a team of scientists on their latest expedition, looking for new species in the very heart of Mabu.

我们跟随了贝里斯教授和一个科研团队最新的考察任务——在麻布森林的核心区域寻找新的物种。

Jonah Fisher, BBC Reporter
"One of the reasons why Mabu is so special is because it's effectively a 'land island', a high-altitude forest surrounded by the lowlands of Mozambique. And what that means for the creatures who live here is that they've evolved separately from other populations, making many of them unique."

乔纳·费雪     BBC 通讯员
“麻布森林如此特殊的其中一个原因是它实际上是一块 ‘陆地上的岛屿’，是一片被莫桑比克的低洼地势包围的高海拔森林。这就意味着生长于此的生物是独立于其它种群演化而来的，使得它们中的许多品种是当地独一无二的。”

So far, more than 25 new species have been found and formally described.

到目前为止，已经有超过 25 个新物种在这里被发现并正式描述出来。

Including at least 10 of Professor Bayliss's favourite - butterflies.

其中包括至少 10 种贝里斯教授最爱的研究对象——蝴蝶。

Professor Julian Bayliss, Explorer and ecologist
"Baylissi poppiana. Poppy is the name of my daughter, so this one is named after my daughter."

朱利安·贝里斯教授     探险家和生态学家
“这种蝴蝶叫 ‘Baylissi poppiana’。Poppy（波比）是我女儿的名字，所以说这种蝴蝶是以我的女儿命名的。”

There have also been new species of snakes, bats, crabs and chameleons.

这里还发现了新品种的蛇、蝙蝠、蟹和变色龙。

Researcher
"And that's the cambia baylissi. It's a chameleon which is only found on Mount Mabu."

研究人员
“这是 ‘Cambia baylissi’，一种仅生长在麻布山上的变色龙。”

In a stream just by our tents, Erica thinks she's found a new freshwater catfish.

就在我们帐篷旁的小溪中，艾莉卡认为她可能发现了一种新的淡水鲶鱼。

Erica Helena Tovela, Researcher
"I hope that we have a new species for this area."

埃莉卡·海伦娜·托维拉     研究人员
“我希望我们在这片区域找到了一个新物种。”

Jonah Fisher, BBC Reporter
"That's very exciting."

乔纳·费雪     BBC 通讯员
“这太令人兴奋了。”

Erica Helena Tovela, Researcher
"Amazing."

埃莉卡·海伦娜·托维拉     研究人员
“简直太棒了。”

This is unique - meet the dung beetle specialist.

这可是难得一见——一位研究蜣螂的专家。

Dr Gimo M. Daniel, Research biologist
"Hold on, hold on. I want to put my gloves on."

吉莫·M·丹尼尔博士     生物研究学家
“稍等，请稍等一下。我要把我的手套戴上。”

He thinks he's found more than 15 new species on Mabu, and puts it down to the quality of his bait.

他认为他在麻布山上发现了至少 15 个新品种，并把这归功于他高品质的诱饵。

Dr Gimo M. Daniel, Research biologist
"Basically, I'm using my faeces as a bait to attract dung beetles in the forest."

吉莫·M·丹尼尔博士     生物研究学家
“简单来说，我用自己的粪便做诱饵来吸引森林中的蜣螂。”

Jonah Fisher, BBC Reporter
"So all over this part of the forest, there are probably dung beetles smelling your poo thinking... it's lunchtime."

乔纳·费雪     BBC 通讯员
“所以这片森林里很可能有许多蜣螂正闻着你的大便的味道在想：该吃午饭了。”

Dr Gimo M. Daniel, Research biologist
"That's correct. That's correct. No, I think this time around, maybe it's brunch."

吉莫·M·丹尼尔博士     研究生物学家
“没错，太对了。不过我想在这个时间应该是吃的是早午饭。”

When we speak to the Mozambique authorities, there's more good news.

在我们和莫桑比克有关部门沟通后，获得了更多的好消息。

They confirm for the first time that all the new discoveries have convinced them to turn Mabu into a conservation area.

他们首次表态称，所有的这些新发现说服了他们需要将麻布确立为自然保护区。

For Professor Bayliss, it will mark the end of a two-decade-long journey.

对于贝里斯教授来说，这象征着一场持续了 20 年的旅途的终点。

Professor Julian Bayliss, Explorer and ecologist
"We've now arrived at the end goal of protecting this forest. This is a conservation success story."

朱利安·贝里斯教授     探险家和生态学家
“我们现在已经实现了保护这座森林的目标。这是一个关于自然环境保护的成功事例。”

Kept hidden for so long, thanks to science, Mabu's secrets should live on.

潜藏了如此漫长的时间，感谢科学研究的帮助，麻布森林的隐秘生态或将得以延续。