For Immediate Release Contact: Pat Kremer/Nancy O’Shea (312) 665-7100 (For Media Use Only) One region where development could threaten biodiversity is the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve. One of the most biologically diverse regions in the world, this 483-square-mile area has at least 10 distinct ecological zones. Last year, 14 Chinese scientists, five Field Museum scientists, and a University of California, Davis herpetologist conducted a rapid biological survey of Gaoligongshan. The team was led by Debra Moskovits, director of the Field’s Environmental and Conservation Programs (ECP), and included Doug Stotz and Robin Foster, also of ECP, as well as Jun Wen and Greg Mueller from botany. The team discovered scores of new plant and animal species during the survey. But even more important, they used the information they collected to make recommendations to politicians and park officials about future management of the area. Field Museum anthropologists also met with nearby communities to determine the impact development might have on local cultures, and to explore how people in these communities can be involved in conservation efforts. <<Return to Forbidden City Press kit Page