Location: Oceania, group of islands including
the eastern half of the island of New Guinea
between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific
Ocean, east of Indonesia
Area: total: 462,840 sq km(5th Largest Country)
land: 452,860 sq km
water: 9,980 sq km
Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon
(December to March), southeast monsoon
(May to October); slight seasonal temperature
variation. 23 to 30°C is typical of coastal
locations. While in the intermontane valleys
the mean maximum is 24°C.
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Papua New Guinea in itself contains over 5% of the world's biodiversity in less than 1% of the
world's total land area
The flora of New Guinea is unique because it has two sources of origin. The Gondwana flora
from the south and flora with Asian origin from the west, as a result New Guinea shares major
family and genera with Australia and the East Asia, but is rich in local endemic species.
PNG boasts some 15-21,000 higher plants, 3,000 species of orchids, 800 species of coral, 600
species of fish , 250 species of mammals and 760 species of birds and 8 species of treekangaroos
Ecosystems range from lowland forests to montane forests, alpine flora down to coastal areas
which contains some of the most extensive pristine mangrove areas in the world
Much of this biodiversity has remained intact for thousands of years because the ruggedness of
the terrain made the interior lands inaccessible; furthermore low population density and
restrictions on the effectiveness of traditional tools, ensured that these biodiversity was never
overexploited.
More than 850 languages are spoken throughout Papua New Guinea, however there are 3
“official” languages spoken; English (language of the government and educational system),
Tok Pisin (the dominant language) and Hiri Motu (dominant language of the southern region
of the country)
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It is estimated that more than a thousand different cultural groups exist in the country
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Because of this diversity, in which they take pride, many different styles of cultural expression
have emerged; each group has created its own expressive forms in art, dance, weaponry,
costumes, singing, music, architecture and much more.
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People typically live in villages or dispersed hamlets which rely on the subsistence farming of
sweet potatoes and taro. Only 18% live in urban areas.
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In many parts of the New Guinea highlands,
people engage in colorful local rituals that are
called “sing-sings". They paint themselves and
dress up with feathers, pearls and animal skins to
represent birds, trees or mountain spirits.
Sometimes an important event, such as a
legendary battle, would be enacted at such a
musical festival.
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Western Highlands:
The provincial capital is Mt. Hagen
The province covers an area of 8,500 km²(4th smallest),
and there are 440,025 inhabitants making the Western Province
one of the most densely populated provinces in the country.
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Altitude ranges from 1400 to 2100m including Mt. Wilhem,
the tallest mountain in Papua New Guinea
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Annual rainfall varies from 1900 to 5000 mm
(mostly between 2000 and 2800 mm)
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Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is the staple food of both the
people and their most important animal, pigs
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Firewood for cooking and household heating is an important
part of the ecosystem
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Major Species include: annual and perennial food crops, Arabica coffee and
Casuarina oligodon(she-oak)
Food crops include bananas, taro, sugarcane, maize, highland “pitpit”, a edible
grass variety
Other components which may be present are nut pandanus (Pandanus fiulianettii) at
altitudes above 1800 m and oil pandanus (Pandanus conoideus) below 1700 m.
Mixed vegetable gardens are gradually converted into coffee/banana gardens and
then eventually into coffee/casuarina stands.
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Once the bananas are established, they provide an increasing proportion of the
coffee's shade needs.
After about 2 years, the bananas are increasingly supplemented by the slower
growing casuarina.
Bananas and casuarina both provide shade up to about years 5-7.
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Fallow vegetation is cleared, drains are established and all of the food crops are
planted in the mixed vegetable garden.
Most plantings are made seasonally towards the end of the drier months.
Coffee seedlings may be transplanted into the gardens when the food crops are
planted.
Casuarina seedlings are sometimes transplanted at the same time as coffee.
Seedlings of coffee and casuarina are usually obtained from self-sown plants in
older coffee
gardens and along alluvial flats respectively.
The food crops are planted in a mixed planting arrangement without regular
spacing or species associations.
By constrast the coffee and casuarina seedlings are planted in a regular manner
that approximates to the recommended spacing (1.5 × 2.5 m for coffee).
The timing of planting of the major components is extremely variable.
Shading of young coffee is provided by different species during different periods.
At first its done by the taller food crops, particularly maize, taro and sugarcane.
The population of Papua New Guinea has more than tripled from 2 million in 1966 to about 6
million with a growth rate of 3.2 per cent in recent years
If these extra people are to be adequately fed, and their cash needs met, then food production
will have to be increased.
The increased production will have to come about either by the expansion of the area used for
agriculture, or more likely, by increases in the productivity of the existing agricultural area
through the intensification of agricultural systems.
The expansion of agriculture will be restricted mainly by environmental constraints.
Agricultural intensification, in the absence of any other changes, is commonly accompanied by
land degradation.
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In March 2009, Papua New Guinea created its first national conservation area.
Park is owned by 35 surrounding indigenous villages which have agreed unanimously to
prohibit hunting, logging, mining, and other development within the park.
Stretching from the northern coast of Papua New Guinea to the western Saruwaged
Mountains, the park is slightly larger than the island-nation of Dominica and home to many
more vulnerable and endangered species than Matschie’s tree kangaroo, including the longbeaked echidna, New Guinea harpy eagle, New Guinea pademelon, the dwarf cassowary, and
Salvadori’s teal. Two endemic species include a bird of paradise, called the Huon astrapia, and
a species of honeyeater, Huon melidectes.
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Bourke, Michael (1985) Food, coffee and casuarina: an agroforestry system from the Papua
New Guinea highlands, Agroforestry Systems, Vol. 2: 273-279.
Connell, John, ‘Economic development in Papua New Guinea: recent development and
prospects, School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney
Bourke, Michael (2001) Intensification of agricultural systems in Papua New Guinea, Asia
Pacific Viewpoint, Vol. 42, No. 2/3: 219–235
Allen, Bryant J., M. Bourke, and R.L. Hide (1995) The Sustainability of Papua New Guinea
agricultural systems: the conceptual background, Global Environmental Change, Vol. 5,
No. 4: 297-312