Reflection on 5th June 2021

World Environment Day, this year 2021 marks the 49^th year of commemoration, with the theme “Ecosystem Restoration” since its inception in 1972. The theme, perhaps a synopsis of the previous 48 themes, and timely when we (humans) are highly driven to improve our standards without realising the stress we are imposing on the natural environment in this quest.   

Global Warming, Climate Change, Changing Weather Patterns and the increasing frequency of Catastrophic Natural Events around the world in the Anthropocene are indications of a stressed Global Ecosystem as a result from accumulating anthropogenic pollutions since human incursion.    

Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases (disease transmitted from animals to humans) in the recent past, including the current COVID pandemic may be a warning of a forthcoming pandemic that will be worse than COVID-19 if the level of stress we currently have on the environment is not improved. Development of vaccines (covid vacine) and treatments are temporary controls that cannot prevent another pandemic, but buy us time to address the underlying issue.

The global effects of COVID-19, reveals our vulnerability, and demonstrate that human beings can be grounded, more so end if Mother Nature retaliate. When we still have time, let’s reconsider our actions and reduce some pressure we are imposing on Mother Nature. We can do that individually, little efforts collectively can lead to transformation for the better.          

Leave Wildlife alone, Promote Biodiversity, Avoid Pollution and Practice
 Sustainable Use of Natural Resources. Be mindful of our remaining forest and replenish what we remove, plant a tree if we cannot invent oxygen producing machines to meet the global oxygen demand.  

We have only one earth, and cannot migrate to another. Let’s make our planet harmonious for all creations to dwell and enjoy, for now and the future.

 

BI.

Cold to Warm, Social to Biological and from People to Frogs.

I was engaged for three weeks with the PNG Institute of National Affairs on a coffee sustainability project to be conducted in a remote part of Eastern Highlands Province here in Papua New Guinea. It was a big project to measure the sustainability of coffee farmers and measure the effects of newly introduced (yet to be effective) Rain Forest Alliance Certificate System to coffee farmers in Papua New Guinea.

For the three weeks, I was doing social survey in Megusa village, Henganofi District of Eastern Highlands Province.  At first when I heard of the location I was reluctant to join the team, because  the Henganofi area is known for tribal fights and I would not like to be caught up in one.  Soon after a week of training on how to use Ipads to do data entry we were off to Megusa village for a trial run on the survey.  I was used to the normal paper interviews or data collection and entry into the computer later. The Ipad system was a very new technique and I was eager to see how it will work. I also could not wait to use an Ipad for the first time.

We had a big impact on the first day in the village. The villagers were very interested with the Ipads and the vehicle that we got was a classic. It was the latest Land Rover in town and the first one in the province. Out from the Bird of Paradise Pool Side car park, around town and on the highway, all eyes were on us. By standers and passer-by’s were staring at the car and of cause wanted to see who is driving or inside, and (I guess one would hope in if we stopped and allow them to…hahaha!). An elderly man whom we gave a lift from the junction to the village said he admired the vehicle when he saw it on the advertisement paper, and dreamt of seeing it one day in town. The vehicle coming into his village and having a ride on it was something he never dreamt of, and was very very happy. I’m sure this was really satisfied because he gave us words of blessing almost 20 times.

Back to work, the social work there was very intense, starting as early as 6am and ending around 12 midnight. I found out that dealing with animals and plants was something very different from dealing with people, and it is very sensitive. How you direct your questions and give feedbacks is the key to progress and success. The first few days were a struggle, but I managed to get through.  

After my three weeks was up, I was asked to extend my time with the team, which I was willing to do. However, I was called out to join another project on Manus Island. This time switching from Social Back to Biological and from People subjects to Frogs. I was summoned to assist another female colleague from PNG Institute of Biological Research, working on the effects of climate change on six endemic frog species of Manus Island.

It was sad to leave a team after 3 weeks with them. But I was out from Megusa village on Friday. Planned do my laundry and get packed for Manus on Saturday, but I had to attend to urgent important matters. So I spent my Saturday in office. Sunday morning flight I was on my way to Manus via Port Moresby with my colleague. Stepping out of the plane at Jacksons airport I could already feel the heat, a step out the terminal and I was sweating, I could feel sweat washing down the dirt on me and a little breeze from the palms at the car park blowing off the my body odour which has been accumulating for the last 5 days.  

A night in Pom, and we were in Manus the next. Though I had a good bath in Moresby, my 2 weeks grubby field laundry was still with me. Manus has its own temperature which is much higher than that in Port Moresby. For a person like me arriving from a cold part of the country, a five minute walk got me sweating like walking in the rain.   

Manus is a beautiful small island with friendly people.  Lorengau has not changed after three years, my first visit was with a team from Wildlife Conservation Society to work on a REDD project.  After a night in Lorengau, we were off to the study site. The study site was the highest mountain - Mt Ndemsel, standing in the heart of the Island and reaches its peak at 700 meters. We accessed the mountain from the Southern part of the Island, from Pelipowai village which is about 3 hours by boat. The village stretches about a kilometre along the coast with houses about 5 meters from the see.  The day ends by going to bed with the sound of the waves and starts with the waking call of the Island’s endemic Friarbird (Philemon albitorques), which they locally call “Manus Chauka”. A night at Pelipowai and off we climbed the mountain with local helpers and potters. The locals were fast and made it an hour and half before me and my colleague, which took us about 5 hours to reach the camp site which is 5 minutes away from the summit. It was a gradual climb, but the heat and load slowed us.

 ……..The search for the six endemic frogs of Manus and return trip to be continued ……

Conservation & Culture

I was surprised when I first saw "blue", instead of white  head plumes of the King of Saxony bird of Paradise on one of the traditional dance groups' head dresses. I noticed that while going around with another colleague,(Ben Ruli) interviewing traditional dance groups on their traditional costumes (especially bird feathers, animal skin and fur) they were using.  This year was my third to be involved in a Traditional Bilas Survey that the Papua New Guinea Institute of Biological Research does at the annual Goroka Cultural Show. It was really interesting to see that some cultural groups are turning to artificially modified objects to portray animal parts and are using it as a supplement for real animal parts in traditional cultural costumes.  

Among others, the one that caught my attention was the head plume of the King of Saxony bird of paradise (Pteridophora alberti). When I first saw it, It looked weird because it was blue. I taught waoooh..! This people must be using a head plume of a new King of Saxony species.  Being attracted, I went over for a closer inspection, and found out that it was an artificial one. Plastic sheets were cut out to resemble the head plume and used on their head dresses.

It may relay messages that the bird is becoming difficult to hunt for their head plumes or people do not want to kill the birds and so are resorting to such techniques.

This practise may be bad for our traditional cultures as it is devaluing its originality and pride. However, it is good for conservation as the King of Saxony Birds of Paradise won’t be heavily hunted for their head plumes. The artificial plumes are resistible to insect attack and can be kept and used for longer period of time.

This practise is in itself a new information or idea to people like me working to do research on and conserve the biodiversity. Sitting here writing this, I am thinking…. “It will be good if we can make artificial animal parts for people to use during cultural dances and events so that they do not go hunting to get traditional costumes. This will give time for the wanted population in the wild to replenish.”  

 

mountain mangi

Field Work in YUS Conservation Area

Field Research work in the Rugged Sarawaged mountains of Morobe is one of the very challenging moments.

YUS conservation area (06 °00’53’’ S, 145° 24’45’’E) is in Kabwum District of the YUS local level government in Morobe Province, PNG. YUSCA covers about 76,000 hectares of tropical forest from PNG’s northern coast to the interior Sarawaged Mountains. YUSCA is perhaps the first protected area in PNG with elevation stretching from lowland coastal plain to montane forest. Gazetted in January 2009 as PNG’s first national conservation area, YUSCA is the first to be declared under the nation’s Conservation Areas Act of 1978.

The nearest research camp from the village is more than four hours hike up steep rugged mountains. Other research camps are worse to get to. Despite the effort invested in getting there, one will appreciate the forest and the information and data collected there will be of greate importance and reliable. The forest there is primarily virgin with minor disturbances from research activities. Anthropogenic, human disturbance on the vegetation is very rare.

The mountains of the Huon Peninsula have a very interesting geological history. So much of the surface geology reflects near shore sea sediments (limestone). This set of mountains is the product of plate contact between the Bismarck and Australian plate. The Huon Mountains, therefore, are very young, much younger than the mountains of the central range south of the Markham-Ramu divide. As such, information on the biodiversity there will be of interest.

more to come......