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Threatened Peruvian plant discovery highlights the power of citizen science

The discovery of a new species in the Andean cloud forests of northern Peru has reinforced the vital role of citizen science in plant research.

An international research team collected, identified and documented a previously unknown plant species, Nasa katjae, after seeing photographs uploaded by Peruvian naturalist, Carlos Pérez Peña, on the citizen science platform iNaturalist. The discovery was then in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

Belonging to the blazing star family (Loasaceae), Nasa katjae is a potentially vulnerable species endemic to a forest near Colasay in the Cajamarca region, not far from a populated area. It is characterized by its elongated stems and striking scarlet-red flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination.

The species thrives in humid, high-altitude environments but is restricted to a narrow range, making it particularly susceptible to habitat loss driven by agricultural expansion and climate change.

This discovery highlights the importance of protecting the remaining pristine habitats in the Amotape-Huancabamba Zone, a biodiversity hotspot home to many rare and isolated species. The team behind the study emphasize that without immediate conservation efforts, these ecologically fragile regions could be lost before they are fully understood.

Lead author Dr. Tilo Henning of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research remarked on the significance of the find, "If we have overlooked this striking plant, think about what we have missed in more unobtrusive organismal groups such as mosses, fungi and insects."

"Discovering such a conspicuous flowering plant in a forest directly adjacent to a larger human settlement signifies that we have not even begun to fully map the biodiversity of some regions. We urgently need more taxonomists and funding to meaningfully tackle this."

While some areas in northern Peru have recently received formal protection, the forest fragment in which Nasa katjae is found remains unprotected. The authors of the study urge decision makers to take action to safeguard these habitats before it is too late.

The discovery of Nasa katjae displays the power of digital tools and citizen science in biodiversity research. Platforms like iNaturalist prove invaluable in detecting and documenting rare species, complementing traditional fieldwork and accelerating new discoveries.