Finally - a theory that holds water

Indeed, I was with Victor Gorshkov and Anastassia Makarieva, both from the Institute of Nuclear Physics in St Petersburg, and with Germán Poveda of the Medellín campus of the National University of Colombia.

We were scrambling our way over the intertwining foot-holding roots of the Chocó rainforest, straddled along Colombia's Pacific coastline, in pursuit of those exquisitely-coloured poison arrow frogs which get their name from the blowpipe darts used by the Embera-Katío Indians of the region.

We weren't there to capture the frogs, just to see them in their glory, intense spots of colour against the drab brownish colouration of the humus bedded on the forest floor or perched conspicuously on the dark bark of a tree.

And, after some four hours of energetic clambering up and sliding down the slithery slopes on which the forest is rooted, we did indeed come across half a dozen or so of the tiny creatures. Seeing the frogs there in full display and with no attempt to hide made us realize that we were in a healthy rainforest.

The frogs get the precursors to their deadly heart-stopping poison from insects which themselves have fed on toxic leaves and, for the frogs to have their chemical protection from predators, the forest has to have its biodiversity intact.

No question, the Colombian Chocó with its plethora of species is one of the most terrestrial biodiverse regions in the world and how beautifully it is situated with the Pacific Ocean just a stone's throw away.

We were there, without electricity, without internet, without a host of tourists; we were in a sanctuary which gave us peaceful hours to reflect, to observe and to feel the omnipresence of the natural world.

Dedhedvedev wrote:Such a wonderful experience shouldn't be limited to just a few "peaceful hours." To get a true picture of man's relationship with the natural world their visit should be extended until they beg someone to come and get them.

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