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Read the story September 15, 2023 Protecting Papua New Guinea’s Unique Biodiversity: Celebrating 48 Years of Independence As Papua New Guinea (PNG) marks its 48th year of independence, it is anopportune moment to reflect on thenation’s sovereign right to protect its exceptional biodiversity and it’s theintrinsic link between conservation of this biodiversity and national identity. Read the story August 4, 2023 Inaugl tribe members commit to legally protect more than 12,000 ha of high biodiversity forest Today, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Indigenous landowners of the Inaugl tribe have joined their neighbours in the Bismarck Forest Corridor to commit to legally protecting 12,241 hectares of forest under a conservation deed. The deed protects this high integrity forest from logging, while allowing for sustainable use of natural resources within marked zones. Read the story November 24, 2022 Kiwa WISH+ to address Water-Related Disease Risks, Climate Resilience and Biodiversity Through systems health and Nature-based Solutions approaches, the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health Plus (WISH+) project, funded under the Kiwa Initiative, will deliver co-benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity and human health and well-being in Papua New Guinea. Read the story Read More News Publication Low-frequency vocalizations by cassowaries (Casuarius spp.) Author(s): A.L. Mack, J. Jones Description/Abstract: Although some birds can detect wavelengths in the infrasound range, there has been litle evidence that birds produce very low frequencies. We made nine recordings of a captive Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius benneti) and one recording of a wild Southern Cassowary (C. casuarius) near Crater Mountain, Papua New Guinea. Both species produced sounds near the floor of the human hearing range in their pulsed booming notes: down to 32 Hz for C. casuarius and 23 Hz in C. benneti. Recordings of C. benneti indicate four levels of harmonics with the 23 Hz fundamental frequency. Such low frequencies are probably ideal for communication among widely dispersed, solitary cassowaries in dense rainforest. The discovery of very low-frequency communication by cassowaries creates new possibilities for studying those extremely secretive birds and for learning more about the evolution of avian vocalizations. Journal: The Auk Year: 2003 Full Citation: Mack, A.L. and J. Jones (2003). Low-frequency vocalizations by cassowaries (Casuarius spp.). The Auk 120(4):1062-1068Did fleshy fruit pulp evolve as a defense against seed loss rather than as a dispersal mechanism Author(s): A.L. Mack Description/Abstract: Relatively few studies have examined the evolution of the mutualism between endozoochorous plants and seed dispersers. Most seed dispersal studies are ecological and examine the role offruit pulp in promoting seed dispersal. This interaction is often assumed to have originated due to selection stemming from seed dispersers. Here I suggest a defence scenario” wherein fleshy fruits originated as mechanisms to defend seeds and secondarily became structures to promote seed dispersal. I suggest that frugivory followed from herbivores that specialized on consuming seed defensive tissues and that enhanced seed dispersal was initially a consequence of seed defence. The proposed defence scenario is not posited as an explanation for the sequence that led to all modern frugivores. However, it is suggested that seed predation was the initial source of selection that led to fleshy fruits; the necessary precursor to frugivory. Support is described from the fossil record and from modern structures and interactions. Testable predictions are made in hope that greater interest will be focused on the defensive role of fleshy fruit pulp both in modern interactions and historically. Journal: Journal of Bioscience Year: 2000 Full Citation: Mack, A.L. (2000). Did fleshy fruit pulp evolve as a defense against seed loss rather than as a dispersal mechanism? Journal of Bioscience 25:93-97Territoriality and density of an Australian migrant, the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, in the New Guinean non-breeding grounds Author(s): S. Legge, S. Murphy, P. Igag, A.L. Mack Description/Abstract: We report on the non-breeding dispersion and density of Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers (Tanysiptera syliva sylvia), an Australo-Papuan intratropical migrant. The study was carried out at the base of the Hunstein Range, in the Sepik basin of Papua New Guinea, using playbacks of calls to census for the presence of birds. Preliminary density estimates (0.4-1.0 birds ha) were higher than expected on the basis of the paucity of museum specimens, the results of broad-scale bird surveys, and observational records. This difference is probably due to their extremely shy behaviour, which would cause them to be under-represented using standard survey methods. Most importantly, at least some kingfishers were territorial, with just a single bird defending each territory. Birds responded to playbacks of their calls using stereotypical territorial responses, and attacked models vigorously. These observations suggest that kingfishers compete for resources at their non-breeding grounds. At least in this species, competition during the non-breeding season may therefore have been a factor in the evolution of intratropical migration, as suggested for the better-studied temperate-tropical migrant species of North America and Europe. In addition, if demographic processes during the non-breeding season are found to limit populations in other Australo-Papuan migrants, the impending massive habitat loss in the Australasian and south-east Asian tropics may have devastating effects on many of these species. Journal: Emu - Austral Ornithology Year: 2004 Full Citation: Legge, S., S. Murphy, P. Igag and A.L. Mack (2004). Territoriality and density of an Australian migrant, the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, in the New Guinean non-breeding grounds. Emu - Austral Ornithology 104(1):15-20Survival rates of Rattus verecundus and Paramelomys platyops in a murid rich tropical rainforest of Papua New Guinea Author(s): Enock Kale, Nathan Whitmore, Andrew L Mack, and Debra D Wright Description/Abstract: Estimations of survival rates of small mammal populations that occur on the island of New Guinea are crucial for conservation and management strategies. Here, we used mark-recapture data in programme MARK to estimate apparent survival and detection of two murid species in a tropical rainforest in Papua New Guinea. The most parsimonious model allowed survival and recapture probability to vary by species. Across the two species, Rattus verecundus generally had lower survival rates, but higher recapture probabilities, whereas Paramelomys platyops had higher survival rates but lower recapture probabilities. Since many small mammal species that occur in New Guinea are already listed under the IUCN red list for Threatened Species, similar studies can be replicated targeting the threatened species to provide information to wildlife managers for management and conservation decision. Journal: Pacific Conservation Biology Year: 2012 Full Citation: Kale, E., N. Whitmore, A.L. Mack,...