The WCS Advanced Training Program
WCS was the first international conservation NGO active in PNG.
WCS has built and maintains two research stations (Crater
Mountain Biological Research Station, established in Simbu
Province in 1989, and Mekil Research Station, established in
1994 in Sandaun Province) in an effort to build the nation's
scientific infrastructure, learn more about PNG's extraordinary
biodiversity and to conserve these biological resources for
future generations. Our program identifies the top university
biology students in PNG on our annual field courses and then
sponsors them as postgraduate interns. The students develop
their own research projects and WCS senior staff (2 Ph.D. and 1
M.Sc. biologists posted full-time in PNG) provide one-on-one
mentoring for several years. Following are brief descriptions of
our current full-time interns.
Name: Paul Igag
Age: 39 years
Education: 1996 B.Sc. in Biology from University of PNG, 2003
M.Sc. in Zoology from Australian National University
About Paul: Since 1998 Paul has studied the nesting and feeding
ecology of Palm
Cockatoos, Eclectus Parrots and Vulturine Parrots in the Crater
Mountain Wildlife Management Area under WCS mentorship. These
species play important roles in the overall ecology of
rainforests through seed dispersal, but are vulnerable to
logging (which destroys their food and nesting trees) and
hunting (for their feathers and meat). Paul has learned much
about the nesting and dietary requirements of these rare birds,
and with WCS funding has earned a Masters Degree based on his
field studies. As a WCS intern, he is currently continuing this
research and is also conducting a series of biodiversity surveys
throughout the country as part of a US-NSF funded research
program.
"In time I would like to mentor interested young men and women
to get involved and to step out into their own backyard and do
real science."
Name: Banak Gamui
Age: 31 years
Education: 1996 B.Sc. in Biology from University of PNG
About Banak: In addition to participating in our US-NSF
biodiversity surveys across PNG, Banak is currently studying the
annual cycle of a montane rainforest at the Mekil Research
Station. Banak will write up part of the results of this work
for his Honors Degree with UPNG. He has trained a team of local
landowners to collect field data in his absence on bird
activity, litterfall including leaf, flower and fruit
production, insect populations and climatological variables.
With these data, he will learn what cues guide the reproductive
cycles of birds and will use this information to help conserve
functional forest systems. Few studies have been undertaken
anywhere in PNG through the full annual cycle of a forest to
measure timing of flowering, fruiting, and leaf fall. Banak's
data on growth and productivity in a montane forest will be
among the only available in PNG for assessing montane forests as
carbon sinks, a topic of growing importance as the world
grapples for ways to buffer global climate change.
"My overall goal is to improve my scientific and analytical
skills through doing research in PNG and to help the local
people to appreciate their natural heritage and local knowledge.
I would also like to contribute good scientific data that can
help drive sound policies on natural resource management in
PNG."
Name: Vidiro Gei
Age: 29 years
Education: 1997 B.Sc. in Biology from University of PNG
About Vidiro: Vidiro is currently working on a key that will be
used in a Field Guide to the Flora of the Crater Mountain
Biological Research Station. In PNG there are no plant field
guides, although they are crucial for ecological work. This is
because the task is daunting. Biologists, like Vidiro, must
collect voucher specimens and hire taxonomic experts to attempt
to identify them (many of them turn out to be new to science).
This project will create a guide to the commonest plants around
the Crater Mountain Biological Research Station using
computerized keys and digital photographs. With this guide on a
CD or loaded on a palmtop computer, field workers in Crater will
be able to identify the majority of trees and vascular plants in
the study area without having to collect specimens to send to
experts. Vidiro will use the key she creates for her Honors
Degree with UPNG. Her goal is to become a plant systematist in
order to document and explain the PNG flora for future
generations.
"There are very few people who are interested in Plant
Systematics as it is not a common field of interest in PNG. This
is an exciting job for me as I get to recognize plant
characteristics of different families and their scientific names
as I work with them. This will greatly help in the building of
my identification skills, as I continue to endeavor to become
one of the very few plant systematists in PNG."
Name: Katayo Sagata
Age: 29 years
Education: 1999 B.Sc. in Biology from University of PNG, 2003
Honours Degree, First Class, from UPNG
About Katayo: Katayo proposed, conducted and completed his
Honours degree project while a WCS intern, working on
twig-nesting ant colonization. Very few ecological studies of
insects have been conducted in PNG, other than insects of direct
economic importance such as pests. Yet some insects,
particularly ants, play crucial roles
in rainforest ecosystems. Katayo undertook rigorous controlled
field studies of twig-dwelling ants to learn more about these
vital, but little-known cogs in the rainforest ecosystem and has
submitted his work for publication in the journal "Biotropica."
Katayo is currently working on Echidna foraging ecology and
water beetle diversity in PNG in addition to developing a new
entomology project for his Masters Degree, which he hopes to
begin in 2004.
"While working on ants I am learning very useful scientific
skills. Acquiring such skills is very important because it will
help me to conduct research and to generate data and
conservation recommendations for PNG's rich biodiversity."
Name: Miriam Supuma
Age: 24 years
Education: 2002 B.Sc. in Biology from University of PNG
About Miriam: Despite the critical importance of forest
resources to the people and economy of PNG, few long-term
studies have investigated growth and survivorship of healthy,
unlogged forests. Without such data, it is impossible to analyze
the impact of logging on the trees that are not cut down. Miriam
has re-censused WCS's 4.2 ha of plant plots at the Crater
Mountain Biological Research Station and is analyzing the data
in an effort to understand the demography of this undisturbed
forest. She is looking at plant recruitment and mortality over
an 8 year period and examining density dependent factors. She
will write up this work for her Honors Degree this year and
hopes to start a Masters Program in 2004.
"Papua New Guinea is considered to be one of the world's last
frontiers possessing virgin forests with weird and wild
creatures. Being a biologist enables me to discover the unknown
secrets of the wild, which is exciting and rewarding!"
Name: Muse Dason Opiang
Age: 32 years
Education: 1999 B.Sc. in Biology from University of PNG
About Muse: Muse came to WCS with a dream of studying echidnas.
We told him that if he could demonstrate to us that he could
capture a Long-Beaked Echidna we would help him to study their
habits. He was successful and has begun the first
ever study of this monotreme (a mammal that lays eggs!), found
nowhere else but on the island of New Guinea. Muse has been
radio-tracking echidnas in the Crater Mountain Wildlife
Management Area for the past two years and continues the work
for his Honors Degree with UPNG. The Victoria Zoological Parks
and Gardens Board (ZPGB) is co-supporting this work with WCS.
The Long-beaked Echidna is one of New Guinea's rarest and most
threatened terrestrial vertebrates, yet it had never been
studied before now. This species is heavily hunted and is
extremely vulnerable. Hopefully these data will generate
management plans that can save the species from extinction.
"With guidance and assistance from WCS and ZPGB experts, I am
fulfilling my dream, and I am confident that in the future I
will fully document the natural history of Long-Beaked
Echidnas."
Name: Arison Arihafa
Age: 30 years
Education: 2001 B.Sc. in Forestry from the University of
Technology
About Arison: Since graduating in Forestry, Arison has been
mentored by WCS while developing a research proposal for his
Honors Degree with UPNG. He has already completed his pilot
study on natural forest gap dynamics at the Crater Mountain
Biological Research Station in an effort to learn how gap size
affects tree recruitment. Treefall dynamics and seedling
regeneration are widely recognized as critical to the
maintenance of high tree species diversity in tropical
rainforests. This topic has been widely studied elsewhere in the
tropics, but few relevant studies have been conducted in the
entire New Guinea region. Better knowledge of natural gap
dynamics and regeneration will be extremely useful for guiding
forestry policy, particularly of small-scale low impact logging
using walk about sawmills. Such logging is widely advocated as
an alternative to destructive industrial logging in PNG, but
relatively few solid field data exist to guide such logging
policy.
"My results will add to our knowledge of the dynamics of
tropical forests such as gap niche partitioning of tree species,
canopy treefall sizes and regeneration of species abundance and
diversity in gaps. My study will show loggers how they can
operate and still maintain species diversity and forest
structure so that conservation of our plant and animal species
takes place."
