Date Posted: Dec 12, 2011 
 
 Photo Gallery 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A new monkey, a self-cloning skink, five carnivorous plants, and a unique leaf warbler are among the 208 species newly described by science in the Greater Mekong region in 2010 and highlighted in a new WWF report. 
 
 A total of 145 plants, 28 reptiles, 25 fish, 7 amphibians, 2 mammals, and 1 bird were all discovered within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan. 
 
 At the same time, the Mekong’s wild places and wildlife are under extreme pressure from rapid, unsustainable development and climate change. 
 
 Protecting their future 
 
 WWF warns the Greater Mekong’s valuable natural assets and species will continue to disappear without accelerated efforts to green the region’s economies. The extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam, recently confirmed by WWF, is a tragic indicator of the decline of biodiversity in the region. 
 
 “This report is an affirmation of what we know—that the Greater Mekong offers unparalleled diversity in nature—and what must be done,” said Rebecca Ng of WWF’s Greater Mekong Program. “The rich natural treasures of the region could be lost if regional governments don’t recognize that protecting biodiversity is an investment to ensure long-term sustainability, especially in the face of global environmental change.” 
 
 The six leaders from the Greater Mekong Sub-region are meeting in Myanmar from December 19-20. WWF is calling upon them to put the benefits of biodiversity, and the costs of losing it, at the center of decision-making and regional cooperation. ||||| Conservationists have discovered a big batch of new — and interesting-sounding — creatures in Southeast Asia, including a psychedelic gecko and a monkey with something resembling Elvis’ hairstyle. 
 
 The Huffington Post reports that the WWF made the finds, 208 creatures in total, in a biodiverse region straddling the Mekong River threatened by habitat loss, deforestation, climate change and overdevelopment. China, Burma (also known as Myanmar), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam all share — uneasily at times — the Mekong. 
 
 (MORE: Saving the World’s Endangered Species) 
 
 One of the picks of the new discoveries: a nose-less monkey swinging from the trees of a remote province of northeast Burma. “While this species, sporting an Elvis-like hairstyle, is new to science, the local people of Myanmar know it well,” the Switzerland-based group said in its report released Monday. 
 
 The remote Mekong region, part of the Golden Triangle infamous for drug trafficking, plays host to some of earth’s most endangered species, such as tigers, Asian elephants, Mekong dolphins and Mekong giant catfish, according to the WWF. The organization announced in October that the Javan rhinoceros became extinct in Vietnam and the 40 to 60 that remain can only be found now in Indonesia. 
 
 “This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of biodiversity but also one that is extremely fragile,” said Sarah Bladen, communications director for WWF Greater Mekong. “It’s losing biodiversity at a tragic rate.” 
 
 PHOTOS: 10 Species Near Extinction
– It's a region that produces a new species every other day: Carnivorous plants that can eat mice, birds, and lizards. An all-female species of lizard that reproduces by self-cloning. Brightly colored geckos bathed in orange, yellow, blue, and green markings. A noseless monkey that looks like it's wearing an Elvis wig. These are just a few of the 208 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year, reports the World Wildlife Fund. Stretching from Yunnan province in southern China to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand, the Greater Mekong region is full of biodiversity, but is under increasing pressure from development, the WWF warns. The recent extinction of Vietnam's rhinoceros population has spurred concern for rare wildlife in the area. "This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of biodiversity, but also one that is extremely fragile,” a WWF official tells Time. “It’s losing biodiversity at a tragic rate."