Scientists have found what is believed to be three new species of amphibians and five new species of plants in a China-Myanmar joint biodiversity survey.

The International Canopy Conference is held every four years and aims to showcase the latest studies and advances in the field of canopy science and to discuss future research directions in canopy ecology and other related disciplines. In 2020, the 8th International Canopy Conference will be held at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan Province, China, from the 24th to 27th October 2020 under the theme entitled “Roles of the forest canopy in a changing world”.

Scientists are looking for effective ways to preserve the region's rich resources.As the clock for action ticks ever faster, Chinese scientists have been ratcheting up efforts to promote biodiversity conservation in countries in the region that have inadequate protection capabilities.

In a recent study published in Phytotaxa, the researchers reported two new ginger species (Amomum erythranthum and Amomum ampliflorum) and two new ginger records (Amomum pauciflorum and Wurfbainia microcarpum) for Flora of Myanmar for the first time.

Among the newly described species, four new members of the African violet family were found from a subtropical forest in Yunnan province in southern China, discovered by researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS and their collaborators. Half of them were found only from a sole population and require further botanical examinations to deploy the conservation priorities, remark the scientists.