Hence this area should be a prime spot for the development of ecotourism, which will be positive since it will naturally boost the regional economy and hopefully filter down to communities living nearby.

Earthwatch is a multinational environmental organization with a focus on scientific expeditions and research. In addition to over 150 permanent staff, the organization works with 50 conservation organizations and 50 corporate partners.

This teamwork enables Earthwatch to support around 130 scientists each year, and arrange research expeditions for its global network of 20 000 members and 4 000 volunteers.

Nigel Winser, Earthwatch vice president, praised the new discoveries made by Hamer and her team, and told Xinhua correspondent that proper management of delicate ecosystems such as these hinge on systematic surveys of the plants and animals living there.

He also said that Earthwatch is proud to be supporting this invertebrate research over many years, adding that such findings give a boost to conservation commitments in South Africa. The organization has supported Hamer's research for seven years.

The 7,720 hactare Mkhambathi reserve is located on the coast of north-eastern Pondoland, between Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal and Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape.

The regional amaPondo are an isiXhosa-speaking ethnic group, with a number of tribal sub-divisions. The reserve falls into the ecoregion known as Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets, which is characterized by montane shrubland.

The ecoregion is part of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot, one of three in South Africa. The other two are the Cape Floristic Region and the Succulent Karoo. A vast variety of creatures make their home in this region, including the white rhino and, the critically endangered, black rhino.

Besides the large diversity of vertebrates found in the region, Maputaland-Pondoland is also exceptionally rich in invertebrate fauna, including many butterflies and moths, caterpillar-like velvet worms, a family of giant earthworms and a variety of scarabs or dung beetles.

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa is ranked as the third most biologically diverse country on earth in terms of species richness and indigenity amongst higher plants and vertebrates. Yet just 6 percent of this natural wealth is formally conserved; which then requires an acceleration of projects such as this one, to ensure that as much of the country's natural wealth is formally conserved as possible.