The island of New Guinea contains the third largest remaining area of tropical forest wilderness next to the Amazon and Congo basins. Biotic surveys in New Guinea are timely as the accelerating pace of human activity threatens species with extinction before they are known to science. A decade of prior collaboration has positioned the research team to conduct a coordinated survey of forest trees and insects at Wanang, Papua New Guinea (PNG). These surveys aim to establish the largest permanent study area for forest trees in PNG that will enable the discovery of new species. Surveys include the mapping and identification of all trees in 125 acres of forest followed by inventories of termites, moths, butterflies, fruit flies, ants and bees.
Building research infrastructure in New Guinea fills a major gap in the global network of forest monitoring sites. A network including PNG is needed to estimate the contribution of tropical forests to the global carbon budget and the potential for new forests to offset CO2 emissions. The survey has a direct impact on biodiversity conservation by establishing a new protected area. Specimens and data will establish a baseline for monitoring the response of tropical forests to global change.
Tropical deforestation, at a current rate of 50,000 square miles per year, affects an area equal to the state of New York each year. This and other land-use changes in the tropics threaten biological diversity, contribute greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, and reduce the ability of forest to regulate climates. The island of New Guinea contains the largest remaining tropical forest wilderness outside of the Amazon and Congo basins. Biodiversity surveys in New Guinea are timely as the accelerating pace of human activity threatens to extinguish species and change ecosystems before they are known to science. Our team conducted surveys of forest trees and insects at Wanang, Papua New Guinea (PNG). We established a large, permanent study plot in a vital but little-known tropical forest ecosystem. Field activities included the mapping, measurement, and identification of approximately 200,000 trees in 100 acres of forest. Inventories of moths, butterflies, fruit flies, ants, and beetles were conducted in parallel. The scientific merit of the project fills a major gap in the global network of tropical forest study sites by developing the first large and long-term forest dynamics plot in Oceania. The New Guinea plot follows a standard method that is monitoring the growth and survival of 6.5 million trees and >7,000 species worldwide. The inclusion of New Guinea, with extensive and unique forest ecosystems, in this network is necessary to understand the contribution of tropical forests to climate and the effect of global change on these ecosystems. Compared to other study sites in the network, the plant and insect diversity of New Guinea is poorly known. Our project produced two books, five student theses, and 38 peer-reviewed scientific papers on New Guinea biodiversity. New plant and insect species were discovered and named. DNA sequences were used to identify species, migration patterns, insect diets, and food webs. Field results were combined with high-resolution satellite imagery to study deforestation from space. Specimens, databases, digital imagery, DNA sequences, and ecological information were made available electronically to the scientific community and the public. The broader impact of the project was to develop a unique collaboration between international researchers, university students, tribal landowners, local government officials, and an industrial corporation. Papua New Guinea is unusual among nations possessing tropical rain forest insofar as the forest estate is privately owned by tribal societies. During the project period, the people of Wanang asserted their constitutional right to protect 20,000 acres of forest in an active logging concession. The project employed members of the tribal community, facilitated provincial government recognition of Wanang Forest as a protected area, and catalyzed a new partnership between the Center for Tropical Forest Science and Swire and Sons Pty. Ltd. This partnership, that developed a field station at Wanang and built the first school in the area, could serve as a model for the integration of scientific research, sustainable development, and biodiversity conservation.
