Wildlife Conservation Society Training Program - Papua New Guinea

Whenever we conduct biodiversity surveys we take students along for training, and we also train local landowners in survey techniques. We train how to mist-net birds and bats, trap mammals, and how to handle and take data from these animals.

We also train methods for censusing reptiles and amphibians and for documenting plant diversity. We take students and landowners to museums to see where specimens from these surveys will be deposited, so that an understanding of science for knowledge alone is garnered, so that people understand that the specimens are not used for profit.

In 1996 Mack and Wright held a pilot 2 week course at So'obo in the Crater WMA to teach 20 students survey techniques. This was followed in the same year with the first of our annual 5 week training courses for 24 students. In 1996 the course was held at the Lakekamu Basin, in conjunction with Conservation International, and taught inventory techniques for mammals, birds, herpetofauna and plants as well as project design and data analysis.

In 1997 the course was held at Maimafu in the Crater WMA and taught project design, data analysis, project write-up, and grant proposal writing. Each year since then we have rotated the subject matter between these two focuses and we change the field location of the course.

Since 1998 the University of PNG has given full college credit for the course. Funding has come mostly from the Christensen Fund and the MacArthur Foundation. This is the only course of its kind in PNG.

Students observe a demonstration of proper specimen preparation in a field camp during the month-long field techniques course. For many of PNG's university students, this course is their first rainforest experience

Dr. Keyt Fischer and Dr. Arlyne Johnson, with WCS funds, mentored Robert Bino with his Honor's thesis in 1993 on singing dogs. In 1994 with WCS funds Dr. Debra Wright mentored John Ericho with his Honor's thesis on figs and fig wasps.

In 1999 the official WCS-PNG Country Program was formed and its directors, Andrew Mack and Debra Wright took on the first new WCS Honor's students in 2000; they have since mentored eleven students with their Honor's projects. Funding has come mostly from the Christensen Fund and the MacArthur Foundation.

Paul Igag was the first WCS-aided Master's student from PNG, conducting his field project on Palm Cockatoo ecology from 1998 through 2000. He received a Master's degree from the Australian National University in Canberra in 2003. Miriam Supuma is currently attending James Cook University with a scholarship from AusAID and Paul is attending the University of Otago for further coursework with a NZ AID scholarship.

One of our older trainees, Paul Igag (left) demonstrates specimen preparation to a younger trainee, Arison Arihafa, during the field training course.