A MYSTERIOUS table-topped mountain that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel Lost World is being wrecked by tourism, warns new research.
The study shows the arrival of “aggressive” new species – along with human waste – means Mount Roraima in South America could be lost forever unless action is taken.
The unique plants and animals were among the few unaltered ecosystems on Earth – protected by steep 1,300 ft high cliffs enabling their isolation.
The area is popular with hikers because of its connections to Edinburgh-born Sir Arthur’s 1912 novel The Lost World. The book features adventurers who find themselves stranded on a prehistoric plateau ruled by dinosaurs.
Nowadays, Roraima straddling the border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana provides natural laboratories to study the origins and evolution of biota and neo-tropical ecosystems.
But the study warns about the presence of invasive plants and polluted waters due to human waste on the mountain.
Previous research has found up to 13 exotic plants identified as being introduced by people on top of Roraima two of which – the Polypogon elongatus and Poa annua – are very invasive.
Study leader Dr Valenti Rull, of the Institute of Earth Sciences in Barcelona, said: “Until now Polypogon elongatus population was small and localised, but the species start to show behaviour and growth patterns to be considered an invasive species.
“The consequences could be dramatic for the flora and plants of these mountains.”
There have been harmful bacteria detected in the waters of the Roraima with Helicobacter pylori present in the human intestinal system which can cause gastritis, ulcers and some kinds of cancer.
The researchers say their presence is due to the tourism, since the samples of polluted water were collected in the area of the camps of mountain visitors.
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