As expansive and vast as our planet is, it's still amazing - particularly if you live in an urban environment - to be reminded that there are places where people have yet to walk. With six billion plus of us shuffling about, there still remain ares where we've left no soda cans or candy wrappers behind, and there isn't a Starbucks on the corner.

A team of scientists from the US, Indonesia, and Australia have found such a place in the Foja Mountains of Papua province of Indonesia, which they entered in December accompanied by neighboring tribesman.

Remote and covering more than two two million acres, the region has been described by Conservation International scientist Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition, as "as close to the Garden of Eden as you’re going to find on Earth.�

In addition to the discovery of more than twenty new frog species, four new butterflies, and a rhododendron which is nearly six inches across, the group has observed birds and kangaroos thought to be near extinction and rarely seen before by scientists.

It has long been extimated that global deforestation robs the planet of literally hundreds of unknown species of plants and animals each day - a staggering figure. The loss of diversity is even more costly when you consider that many experts believe that these lost species likely hold the key to curing many serious diseases.

For now, this region appears to be safe from environmental threats given its remote location and major restrictions on access by foreigners. However, Beehler notes that increasing demands for timber from countries like China and Japan could place pressure on Indonesia to open up the area in coming decades.