Guwahati, June 22: In a forest village in Northeast India, a group of researchers holds up a photograph of a tiny, brightly coloured frog. “New species,” they say. The village elders smile. They’ve seen this frog before—by the stream, after the rains, since they were children.

This kind of moment happens in many places where nature is rich and people live close to the land. It raises a simple question: If local communities already know about a plant or animal, how can it be called “new”?

The answer is that something can be familiar to the people living there, but still be unknown to science. Seeing something new and proving something new scientifically are two very different things.

What Makes a Species “New” to Science?

A species is only officially recognised after a long and careful process. Scientists must collect and preserve a specimen, compare it with others stored in museums and databases, and study its physical features, genetics, sounds, and behaviour. They then write a formal description and publish it in a peer-reviewed journal.

Until this is done, the species is not part of the scientific record. It doesn’t count in biodiversity assessments. It can’t be protected by law. It’s almost as if it doesn’t exist outside the forest where it lives.

This is why even animals or plants that are well known to local communities can remain “invisible” to science for years—or even decades.

Why It Takes Time

Declaring a new species is slow because every detail has to be checked. Scientists must make sure the species hasn’t already been named under a different identity. In some cases, what looks like a new species is actually part of a group where many species look alike on the outside but are genetically different. These are called cryptic species.

Fieldwork adds more challenges. Many species are found in remote areas. Some appear only for a few weeks in a year, often tied to certain seasons or weather conditions. Even after a specimen is collected, the process of comparison, writing, and publishing takes time.

In some cases, a species is photographed or collected years before it is officially described.

Local Knowledge and Scientific Discovery

Villagers and indigenous communities often have deep knowledge of the forests and landscapes around them. They know which frogs sing after the rains, which plants bloom first, and which insects are active at night. But this knowledge is mostly passed down through generations, not written in books or shared in scientific journals.

Science, on the other hand, requires detailed records that can be checked and compared anywhere in the world. This is one reason why the gap between local knowledge and scientific recognition still exists, even though both are important.

Why Scientific Description Matters

Even if a species is well known locally, it needs to be formally described to be included in conservation work. Without a scientific name, it cannot be added to protected species lists. It cannot be studied in future research. It cannot receive funding for conservation.

Scientific description gives the species a place in the wider world. It makes it count in decisions that affect forests, rivers, and ecosystems.

So when someone in a village says, “We’ve seen it before,” they are right. But until that knowledge meets the scientific process, the species remains unseen in the eyes of the world.

It all needs to be scientifically proved that it’s a new species.

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