the introduction and potential spread of non-native alien species such as the Crab-eating Macaque, which preys on and competes with indigenous species, as well as water pollution from oil and mining operations.
I would like to convey my appreciation to the team, especially to the authors, who have provided support and brought together such detailed and fruitful information. I would also like to thank all institution, researchers, universities, nongovernmental organizations, local communities, and all other parties who got involved and participated in the development of this book.
I hope this book will serve as a source of information and will give invaluable contributions to the improvement of awareness and knowledge on biodiversity. Finally, I hope the important essence of biodiversity is taken into account in every decision-making process, paving the way toward sustainable development in Papua.
Jakarta, July 2006
Ir. Rachmat Witoclar
State Minister for Environment
Letter from the Papuan People’s Assembly
IWOULD LIKE to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Conservation International (CI) for its hard work and devotion in making The Ecology of Papua available. The knowledge presented in these volumes, the last to be released in the Ecology of Indonesia series, represents a significant contribution to efforts made by various local, national, and international institutions and agencies to conserve the biological diversity of this part of the world for future generations.
This book will, we hope, also expand readers’ horizons and further their understanding of Papua’s extraordinary diversity and its wide variety of natural ecosystems. These natural treasures need to be properly preserved and managed to prevent their depletion, especially from unwise and inappropriate use of our unique resources. Furthermore, it is my hope that the information on the ecology and biodiversity of Papua presented in this book will significantly contribute to establishing and strengthening awareness and responsibility among various individuals and groups in Papua and in Indonesia to participate in a worldwide movement to conserve this part of the world’s heritage to guarantee a sustainable global future for Papuans and humans in general.
Many people and individuals, as well as institutions in Indonesia and abroad under the lead of CI, have contributed significantly and in various ways toward the creation of this book. On behalf of the Papua People’s Assembly (Majelis Rakyat Papua–MRP), then, I would like to thank Conservation International, which has taken the lead throughout each stage of this process—from the collection and compilation of information to the publication process that finally made this book available. This achievement exemplifies CI’s sincere devotion and strong commitment to conserving Papua’s biodiversity, which it has demonstrated throughout its presence in Papua. I would also like to thank the University of Cenderawasih and Harvard University for their significant contributions in making this book available. My deepest gratitude also goes to all chapter authors, as without their contributions this book would never have been possible.
In conclusion, allow me on behalf of the Papua People’s Assembly to offer our support for future efforts made by CI in its mission to enhance conservation efforts locally and nationally as well as globally, and through its various programs to conserve the biodiversity of Papua as part of our planet’s last heritages. This is vital for the well-being, prosperity, and sustainable existence of human beings on this planet—particularly Papuans—the indigenous people of this land of Papua.
Dr. Agus Alue Alua, M. Th.
Chair, Papua People’s Assembly
SECTION ONE
Introduction to Papua
1.1. Introduction to Papua
BRUCE M. BEEHLER
PAPUA, THE WESTERN HALF of the great subcontinental island of New Guinea, encompasses 416,129 km2 and supports the largest tract of old growth tropical forest wilderness remaining in the Asia-Pacific region. Dominated by the huge Central Cordillera that generates abundant rainfall, the rivers of Papua drain northward into a vast interior basin (the Mamberamo/Meervlakte) and south into a triangular alluvial platform that broadens as it reaches eastward to the border with Papua New Guinea. At its westernmost, Papua is dominated by a welter of small mountain ranges (accreted terranes), peninsulas (Vogelkop [Bird’s Head], Wandammen, Fakfak, Kumawa), and island groups (Raja Ampats, Cenderawasih Bay Islands). In many respects, Papua resembles its eastern counterpart, mainland Papua New Guinea, but its mountains are higher (reaching to the snow line), its swamps are larger (e.g., Mamberamo, the Asmat), its population is smaller (ca 2.2 million vs. ca 5 million), and the exploitation of its vast forests less extensive at the time of this writing. As with Papua New Guinea, Papua is home to many traditional cultures (250 by one estimate; Petocz 1989). Many of these are forest-dwelling societies, who have provided remarkably prudent stewardship of their forest resources. Thus Papua’s forest wilderness and diverse marine ecosystems are human-managed natural systems that give the impression of being pristine. For environmentalists, conservationists, and research biologists, Papua is a rich mother lode of natural and cultural history to be documented studied, shared, and preserved.
Wonders of Papua
By any standards Papua is special and shrouded in mystery. For nearly a half-century (1962–2000) it was essentially inaccessible to all but a few international field researchers (see Hope et al. 1976) and thus a terra incognita. As each year went by, other blank spots on the globe were filled in by intrepid adventurers and naturalists, making Papua more and more enticing to outside naturalists. Those smitten with Papua could only read early accounts and examine the pre-1962 holdings of museums and research institutions to get an idea of what lay behind the Papuan (then West Irian or Irian Jayan) veil of the unknown. We did know that Papua was home to the tropical Pacific’s only glaciers. We did know that Papua was the home to hundreds, no, thousands of undescribed species of plants and animals, not to mention the lesser life forms. Jared Diamond rediscovered the Golden-fronted Bowerbird in the Foja Mountains in 1980. Tim Flannery described a new mountain-dwelling tree kangaroo in 1994. Gerald Allen collected his first rainbow fish in Papua in 1980 and described his most recent new Papuan species in 1998. Clearly there is so much for us to learn about this little-studied land. Adventurers were claiming "first contacts" with forest-dwelling peoples as recently as 1990—this added to the several hundred named ethnic groups inhabiting Papua, each with its own language, culture, art, and cosmology.
Geographic and Political Nomenclature
Let us begin our overview of Papua with some discussion of geographic and political nomenclature (see map on end sheets to this book). New Guinea is the term we use to describe the whole island, this largest tropical island, some 2,700 kilometers long by 900 kilometers wide. The eastern half of the island is today the mainland section of Papua New Guinea, which achieved independence from Australia in 1975. The western half of the island is today known informally as Papua ("West Papua" in some circles). Papua became the official name of western (Indonesian) New Guinea, Indonesia’s easternmost province in 2000. In 2004, Papua Province was "illegally" but formally bisected; the easternmost and central sections retain the name Papua, and the westernmost section is Irian Jaya Barat (a planned Central Irian Jaya has been put on hold because of a court ruling).
Western New Guinea has held various names over the last hundred years. During the days of Dutch colonial administration this area was named Dutch New Guinea, part of the Dutch East Indies. Upon Indonesian accession of this last fragment of Dutch colonialism, the region was named West Irian (Irian Barat). Shortly thereafter it was given the name Irian Jaya ("glorious Irian"), and more recently Papua. This last is confusing
