Melanesian Geo

Melanesian Geo 'Melanesian Geo' magazine is a grassroots initiative focused at raising environmental awareness in Melanesia.
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12/07/2024

A pigment mutation in the magnificent tree frog has resulted in a rare scientific discovery.

11/07/2024
08/07/2024

Beauty of lake Kutubu

03/07/2024

Two swimmers from PNG, one male and one female have qualified to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris.

To read more: https://tvwan.com.pg/news/449

03/07/2024

DNA evidence confirms that Australia's indigenous culture is one of the most ancient in the world, tracing their origins back to Africa. The first genome sequence of an Aboriginal person reveals that they left Africa around 60,000 - 75,000 years ago. This genetic study highlights that Aborigines are descendants of the first humans to migrate out of Africa, suggesting they may possess the oldest continuous culture on Earth.

Indigenous Australians were the first modern humans to navigate an unexplored region of Asia and Australia, according to Professor Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen, who led the study. "Their journey was truly remarkable, requiring exceptional survival skills and courage," he says. This discovery was made possible by analyzing a century-old lock of hair given to an anthropologist by an Aboriginal man, leading to insights about the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians.

Its uncrowded waves are more welcoming than Indonesia and Hawaii's popular surf spots, but this island paradise remains ...
02/07/2024

Its uncrowded waves are more welcoming than Indonesia and Hawaii's popular surf spots, but this island paradise remains off the tourist radar.

I nearly killed our firstborn when he was 11 and I was teaching him to surf. I’d been pushing him into waves all morning at our local beach when a steep one reared and I slung him down its quickening slope with an encouraging hoot. I’ll spare you the details but there was a fin slice, an exposed...

24/06/2024
21/06/2024
19/06/2024

Beautiful cultures and traditions. The land of a thousand tribes and languages. PNG is truly a unique place in the world. It's more of countries within a country. Not only that we are a resource-rich nation that is ready to flourish under the right leadership. One day the world will be attracted to the beauty and the wealth of our nation. We must all be optimistic and look forward with hope. I love Papua New Guinea and I'm a proud PNG man.❤️

Picture:man from Simbai district in beautiful Mandang province.

19/06/2024

Amidst all the negativity about our beautiful island. One can not deny the beauty in our diversity. There are more to it than what media portrays. This island is the last frontier in world . Pack up your bags and explore the amazing wonders of PNG and brace yourself with love and authentic culture and share the amazing things with the world.

Many of these “lost” birds live in the tropics, particularly on small islands and in mountainous areas. Fifty-six lost b...
18/06/2024

Many of these “lost” birds live in the tropics, particularly on small islands and in mountainous areas. Fifty-six lost birds are from Oceania, followed by Africa with 31 and Asia with 27.

The birds have not been seen for at least a decade – some for more than 100 years – but the authors of a new list of missing species have not given up hope

17/06/2024
17/06/2024

Michael Balick. David Harrison, Greg Plunkett, Neal Kelso, Dominik Ramík and our Vanuatu partners just published a paper on wind lore in the Journal of Marine and Island Cultures.

While most such studies focus on identifying wind patterns related to navigation, this is one of the first to include land-based perspectives. This map is an example of the 17 different named winds on Aneityum Island listed by Pascal Nañak and Joel Simo of Imtaña village, with the Narutu winds indicating that it is a good time to weave mats, as the leaves are pliable and easy to work with.

Other winds, such as Natoga, indicate that it is a good time to plant gardens.

https://jmic.online/issues/v13n1/1/ .

Michael Balick

Science bringing back the Southern Corroboree frog
17/06/2024

Science bringing back the Southern Corroboree frog

More than 3,400 southern corroboree frog eggs have been released into their natural habitat in the NSW Snowy Mountains in the hope of bringing the iconic species back from the brink of extinction.

16/06/2024
13/06/2024
13/06/2024

Living Roots Bridge of Bougainville.

Discover the incredible Living Roots Bridge in Central Bougainville! This natural marvel is a testament to nature's ingenuity and the local community's traditional knowledge. 🌿✨"

11/06/2024
The Solomon Islands heavily in the trade of live wildlife. And for decades non native Solomon Islands birds have consist...
08/06/2024

The Solomon Islands heavily in the trade of live wildlife. And for decades non native Solomon Islands birds have consistently ended up on the CITES export originating from Solomon Islands. There is no proper monitoring of this trade, both at the habitat level, and the trade level.

"The Pacific's Solomon Islands has become a key player in the global live animal trade, with foreign collectors sourcing exotic species including some subject to trade bans, an AFP investigation has found.

Conservationist testimony, official documents and UN data show native Solomon Islands lizards being shipped to the United States, wild birds plucked from verdant rainforests and sent to the Middle East, and dolphins destined for Chinese aquariums.

Some wild animals can be captured and sold legally, but the trade in vulnerable species is governed by strict rules or even bans.

That has not stopped traders keen to cash in on the lucrative market for exotic pets."

The Pacific's Solomon Islands has become a key player in the global live animal trade, with foreign collectors sourcing exotic species including some subject to trade bans, an AFP investigation ha...

Papua coastline
07/06/2024

Papua coastline

Aerial view of the Papuan coastline and the new gas power plant in the distance at Papa-Lealea LNG site, which is situat...
07/06/2024

Aerial view of the Papuan coastline and the new gas power plant in the distance at Papa-Lealea LNG site, which is situated outside of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

03/06/2024

Talent 👍🇵🇬

But why? Ancient forests home to endangered sugar gliders fell😌
23/05/2024

But why? Ancient forests home to endangered sugar gliders fell😌

The death of a rare animal after a tree was felled has prompted a call for the works to stop. Find out more.

We should all care.🙏👍
22/05/2024

We should all care.🙏👍

Perfect wave, Bilas Peles, Nusa island, New Ireland Province 🇵🇬
14/05/2024

Perfect wave, Bilas Peles, Nusa island, New Ireland Province 🇵🇬

07/05/2024

✨🇻🇺 Vanuatu has officially been crowned the happiest country in the world, according to the 2024 Happy Planet Index. 😊🌍

It took the title thanks to its life expectancy of 70.4 years and a self-reported well-being score of 7.1 out of 10, along with a carbon footprint well below the global fair share.

Listen 👇🏾
https://ab.co/3UyI5BE

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Location: Central Province, Papua New Guinea Out of the three surviving species of cassowaries, the dwarf cassowary (Casuarius bennetti) is the smallest. It is also referred to as Bennett's cassowary, little cassowary, mountain cassowary, or muruk in 'Tok Pisin'. The dwarf cassowary can be found at elevations of up to 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) in the highland forests of Yapen Island, New Guinea, and New Britain. It will also live in the lowlands in places where there are no other cassowary species. The approximate area of occurrence for it is 258,000 km² (100,000 sq mi). It has been noted to occur in higher densities in areas where there is less disturbance and low human presence. #nature #birds #png #melanesia #wildlife #biodiversity

Location: Dusk in the mountains of Isabel Island, Solomon Islands. At dusk insects and frogs call, and the nocturnal world stirs.

Location: Vangunu Island, Solomon Islands. The anthropogenic pressures on the environmental are now immense. Whether on continents, continental islands like New Guinea, or oceanic islands, the principal factor to species extirpation and extinction is universal - it is HABITAT LOSS. In Melanesia, the main driver of habitat loss stems from industrial logging. The social and environmental impacts are well known. What's alarming now, is the depletion of clear streams across the region, and the bioindicators, like water frogs, are raising the alarm. #island #nature #biodiversity #forest #conservation

Location: Pacific Collections, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, USA The Choiseul Pigeon (Microgoura meeki) known locally as kukuvojo, was a ground pigeon, related to the New Guinea crown pigeons. It was initially discovered on the island of Choiseul in Solomon Islands in 1904. It was known to have been endemic to the island of Choiseul, but since its discovery, no definitive records of this bird have been made. It was assumed that the introduction of cats and dogs brought this island endemic to extinction, and there is no longer any living population. During the Whitney South Seas Expedition to the island of Choiseul and to the village of Moli in 1927, the bird was already reported by locals to be rare, and by 1958 was reported as extinct. In a review done by scientist, John Tennent in 2009, the birds extinction was confirmed to be due to predation by cats. And based on recent camera trapping data, and research done by Dr Tyrone Lavery (published in 2020), there are high densities of feral cats even in primary forests in Solomon Islands, adding to the possible threat of extinctions, or extirpations of some species. In this short video, Solomon Islands botanist and naturalist, Myknee Sirikolo, talks (in Solomon Islands pidjin) about the Choiseul Ground Pigeon, holding in hand an original specimen of the Choiseul Ground Pigeon collected in 1904. Five specimens of this bird collected in 1904 are now safely lodged in the vaults of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Location: Varirata National Park Of the three surviving species of cassowaries, the dwarf cassowary (Casuarius bennetti) is the smallest. It is also referred to as Bennett's cassowary, little cassowary, mountain cassowary, or muruk in Papua New Guinea tok pisin. These birds are more common in the forests that are farthest from villages, towns or gardens because they are frequently weary of people. In New Guinea, they are both traditionally hunted and exchanged in ceremonies. #cassowary #forest #tropicalbirds #rainforest #newguinea #papuanewguinea #places #nationalparks

The magic of Islands. Mborokua island 🇸🇧

Location: Mborokua island (or Mary island), Solomon Islands. THE HUMAN CONNECTION TO ISLANDS In terms of biodiversity, the Solomon Islands are only surpassed in richness by Papua New Guinea. Because of the high percentage of endemism in species, some experts have even suggested that the Solomon Islands are the Galapagos that Charles Darwin never discovered. The diversity of the larger islands is better understood, but little is known about the biodiversity found on smaller islands. More importantly, not much is known about the early history of human settlement, particularly on the smaller islands. Mborokua Island is unique in that it is a secluded island that was formerly home to a human population but is now deserted. For reasons unknown, but possibly due to a lack of water, or as a result of its isolation, or head hunting raids, the people of Mborokua left the island, and settled, some claiming on Nggatokae Island and Russell Islands. In fact, there are stories of Mborokua in the folklore and custom stories in Mbiche village on Nggatokae Island. What makes these spaces special, are not only their biodiversity values, but more importantly the connection these places have to humans, to Solomon Islanders. Melanesia's strong human connection to its environment, is more important to conservation success, than protecting the environment exclusively for the region's high biodiversity values. But there is even greater beauty when both are valued. Pikacha, Ecologist and Island Biogeographer.

Location: Mborokua island (or Mary island), Solomon Islands THE MAGIC OF ISLANDS Mborukua Island, in the Solomon Islands, is a remote and inhabited island situated to the west of the Russell Islands. The island was inhabited more than a century ago by Solomon Islanders, who eventually scattered, some claiming to Nggatokae Island and the Russell Islands. The island, which rises 300 meters above the sea, is actually the summit of a deep volcano. This island is home to a few special species, and like many islands, the magic of speciation is evident amongst the requisite set of colonisers. This is a quick interview that was conducted with renowned scientist Dr. Chris Filardi while on an expedition that involved the government of the Solomon Islands, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, researchers, and locals.

At 4,509 metres (14,793 feet), Mount Wilhelm is the tallest mountain in Papua New Guinea. At the peak of the Bismarck Range is where the provinces of Madang, Jiwaka, and Chimbu converge. In the indigenous Kuman language, the mountain is also referred to as Enduwa Kombuglu or Kombugl'o Dimbin.

Northern Brown Bandicoot
Northern Brown Bandicoot

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Melanesian Geo

The publication concept of Melanesian Geo: journal of society and the environment in Melanesia was developed and initiated by Patrick Pikach from Solomon Islands, with the support of two postgraduate students at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji in 2005. The initial purpose of this journal was to draw attention to the rich and distinct biodiversity of Melanesia which each year is being increasingly threatened by a number of factors both natural and man made. Issues of concern in Melanesia are unsustainable development, commercialisation and exploitation of wildlife species, and resource exploitation such as mining and logging, etc. As a team of Melanesian environment students at the time we perceived that a journal that was both illustrative and that provided an easy narration of these issues was more fitting for our grassroots people in the Melanesian region to comprehend and empathise with. And so we endeavoured to fill this niche between the science and the mainstream media by simplifying the data without loosing or “watering down” the emphasis of each issue or story. In addition it is our purpose to try and making the pages more illustrative with colourful pictures of Melanesia. Furthermore, to be relevant to the people of Melanesia and to the context of our contemporary society, we are taking a broader approach to the initial environmental focus of this magazine and will be publishing societal issues that affect our people.

The Purpose of this publication is

• To provide an alternative reader friendly journal for local writers, researchers, and civil society groups throughout Melanesian to contribute to.

• To raise awareness (to the general public, in particular grassroots resource owners, education institutions, civil society groups, legislators, politicians and relevant stake holders) of contemporary environmental issues that impact the Melanesian environment and its people.

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