New Guinea (inglise keeles) (0)

TARTU VEERIKU KOOL
New Guinea animals and plants
Koostaja: Tauri -Viljar Vahesaar
Juhendaja: Priit Pensa
Tartu 2009
Table of content
Introduction 3
The forests of New Guinea 5
The problem with trading wildlife 6
Animals of the lowlands 8
Reptiles 8
Crocodiles , leaving New Guinea as skins and back straps 9
Vital waterways for people and wildlife 10

Introduction

If you were asked to show on a world map the regions with the most biodiversity, your finger would probably end up pointing at the Amazon , the Congo Basin or the island of Borneo.
But I chose New Guinea, an island that represents no more than 1% of the world’s landmass, an array of extraordinary animals and plants have also flourished, such as tree kangaroos and birds of paradise.
Close to 10% of the world’s vertebrates are concentrated here , while 7% of the world’s higher (vascular) plants grow on the island’s productive soils.
Geography
Papua New Guinea consists of over 600 islands and lies in the middle of the long chain of islands stretching from mainland South -East Asia . The mainland and larger islands are mountainous and rugged, divided by large fertile upland valleys. Fast -flowing rivers from the highlands descend to the coastal plains. A line of active volcanoes stretches along the north coast of the mainland and continues on the island of New Britain . To the north and south of this central mountain range on the main island lie vast stretches of mangrove swamps and coastal river deltas . /1/
Volcanoes and thermal pools are also found in the southeast of other islands. Papua New Guinea offers the greatest variety of terrestrial ecosystems in the South Pacific, including five types of lowland rainforest , 13 types of montane rainforest, five varieties of palm and swamp forest and three different mangrove forests. Two-thirds of the world’s species of orchids come from New Guinea. /1/
Birds include 38 species of the bird of paradise, and the megapode and cassowary. Marsupials and mammals include cuscus, tree kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, spiny anteaters and, in the coastal waters , the dugong . There are between 170 and 200 species of frog and 450 species of butterfly. /3/

The forests of New Guinea

Richer and more diverse in species than their montane counterparts, the lowland forests of southern New Guinea are the home of more than 1,200 species of trees .
Lowland rainforests are demanding ecosystems. They need at least 2,500 mm of rainfall per year , and they only show the greatest species diversity on well-drained sites. /2/
Soil
When seeing the rich canopy and massive trees of the lowland canopy, one is tempted to believe that the soils are very rich. In fact , the soil layer is thin and is easily leached of its nutrients compared to the highlands. /2/
Lowland forest
Beyond 1,000 m, the lowland forest gives way to montane forests. Here, the canopy is lower than the lowland forests and fewer trees rely on buttresses. Branches also grow lower on the trunks and the shrub layer is denser.
As tectonic plates have shifted and climates undergone dramatic changes, New Guinea has seen a wide range of starkly different ecosystems form. A diverse range of endemic species - plants and animals found nowhere else in the world – have had ample time to evolve and thrive. The difference in the wildlife make-up between New Guinea and the neighbouring islands is striking. /2/
Wildlife use and trade in New Guinea concerns several species that are in high demand either for local subsistence. As forests are opened up by logging and forest conversion for plantations, there is a risk that the scale of wildlife exploitation will increase significantly, with dramatic consequences for target species. /4/

The problem with trading wildlife

Wildlife trade represents the second-biggest direct threat to species survival after habitat destruction. The most obvious problem associated with wildlife trade is that it can cause overexploitation to the point where the survival of a species hangs in balance.
Historically, such overexploitation has caused species to become either severely threatened or extinct , and as human populations have expanded, demand for wildlife has only increased. /2/
The plants of New Guinea
Clearly, the plants most at risk from over exploitation in New Guinea's forests are its tropical hardwood trees, such as merbau. Vast quantities are being exported illegally from both Papua New Guinea and Indonesia . Some of the plants here are more than 100 million years old.
Canopy trees can reach over 50 m and have straight trunks, which often are supported by buttress roots . /4/
Species of plants
Species groups have their comfort zones . Take plants for example. In New Guinea, the greatest diversity is seen in lowland forests. For birds, it’s the opposite - diversity increases as we go up in altitude. /2/
Between 15,000 and 20,000 plant species thrive in New Guinea, many in the island’s forests. This extraordinary diversity has been brought about by the favourable soil types, the climate and species migration from other areas . /2/
Of New Guinea's plants, there are more than 2,000 species of orchids and 2,000 species of ferns. Although almost 8 out of 10 of these plants are found nowhere else in the world, New Guinea’s plant numbers are low compared to other tropical areas. /1/

Animals of the lowlands

Some of the world’s most peculiar evolutionary adaptations can be found in the southern New Guinea lowland forests: the lesser tube-nosed bat (a small bat with tubular nostrils that whistle when it flies ), the spangled kookaburra (a bird with a brown head and brilliant blue feathers on its back and tail ), and the greater bird of paradise (sports a stunning array of green , yellow , and maroon feathers, and a dashing white-and-yellow plume).

Reptiles

Humans have always had a predilection for consuming reptiles, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Turtles and tortoises stand out as popular species, with turtles the most heavily exploited for human consumption. Another growing threat to reptiles is the Southeast Asian traditional medicinal trade, with turtles and snakes in particularly high demand. /2/
A turtle species which has suffered from over exploitation in New Guinea is the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), also known as pitted-shell turtle, Fly River turtle or New Guinea plateless turtle.
In addition to being consumed in large quantities by indigenous people in Papua Province (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea, trade in this species has intensified due to an increase in hatchlings being supplied to the international pet market ./2/
The pig-nosed turtle’s characteristic tubular nose has earned it a global reputation in the pet trade. As a popular collectors' item worldwide , its population is suffering from high demand. In its native area, juvenile turtles are being snatched for trade and the turtles' nests are robbed of their eggs , which are eaten./2/

Crocodiles, leaving New Guinea as skins and back straps

Compared to turtles, data shows that crocodiles, snakes, and lizards are exploited in a less intense and generally non-commercial manner for human consumption (a few lizard species are an exception to this rule ).
However, crocodiles, along with several large snakes and lizards, remain very vulnerable to the commercial skin trade. /1/
Although both species of New Guinea crocodiles are currently listed under Appendix II (species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora , Papua New Guinea still exports wild-harvested and captive-bred crocodile products.5
These exports are contributing to a severe decline in crocodile populations and consequently a reduction in the biological diversity of Papua New Guinea./1/
Birds
Much sought after as pets or for their feathers, several birds of the forests of New Guinea such as parrots, lorries and birds of paradise are illegally exported for trade. But just the local use of a species can be detrimental to its survival; wildlife capture and trade of cassowary for traditional use has severely reduced their populations in some areas and where they remain, there is increased pressure for trade. /5/
Birds of paradise have also been historically traded, especially for their feathers. While West Papuans' use of the birds' feathers in cultural celebrations is part of their tradition , Europe was once the main market for the plumes, to be used for women 's hats and accessories . Trade peaked in the late 19th century , when plumes from more than 50,000 birds were exported every year, generally to Paris for capes and hats. /1/
Birds of paradise continue to be smuggled out of Papua Province, Indonesia. The trade in the birds adds to the pressure they already get from continued hunting and the destruction of their habitat by logging, road construction and conversion for human use. Although banned by the Indonesian government since 1990, trading in the feathers of the birds of paradise is still ongoing./5/

Vital waterways for people and wildlife

Home to crocodiles, freshwater sharks, barramundi and hundreds of other fish species, the rivers of New Guinea rival terrestrial ecosystems in terms of complexity and diversity. They are also integral parts of forest ecology.
River systems form extensive floodplains at lower altitudes, arising from networks of progressively smaller rivers and streams originating in the highlands. /2/
References

http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Papua+New+Guinea/Overview

http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/new_guinea_forests/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/photogalleries/papua-new-guinea-missions/photo2.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/papua-new-guinea
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