African Forest People

Source google.com.pk
African Forest People
African forest people tend to be noticeably smaller than those from the savannas, the Pygmies being the most extreme example. Their small stature undoubtedly enables them to move about the forest more efficiently than taller peoples. Additionally, their smaller body mass allows pygmies to dissipate their body heat better.

These peoples live in bands that range in size from 15-70 people depending largely on outside factors—hunting, trading, disease, and forest area. These groups tend to be nomadic, moving to new parts of the forest several times during the year and carrying all their possessions on their backs. Their nomadic lifestyle is less damaging to the rainforest environment because it allows the group to move without over-exploiting the local game and forest resources.

When they establish a settlement, they clear any undergrowth, small trees, and saplings, leaving the canopy-forming trees intact. Under the cover of canopy, the pygmies are protected from the powerful tropical sun and can better harvest such things as honey and game. By leaving the canopy intact, when the group leaves, the area can quickly return to semi-primary forest. Their huts superficially resemble igloos, with a domed latticework formed with saplings and walls of shingled tree leaves.

African Forest People

African Forest People

African Forest People

African Forest People

African Forest People

Forest People House

Source google.com.pk
Forest People House
This is the home of an indigenous Emberá family located on the outskirts of El Real, inside Panama’s Darien Gap. Perched up on stilts to protect from annual flooding from all the rivers in the area. The Emberá are one of 3 indigenous groups that have called the remote Darien region home for hundreds of years. We passed many traditional homes like this on our way into Darien National Park. I actually rented a machete for our 3 day jungle trek from a local Emberá man who lived down the road.
                                                        Forest People House

Forest People House

Well this blog is a little out of place in the timeline of things, but based on all the interesting and informative presentations by people at CATHALAC and our projects, this trip is just now making it´s post. On Monday, January 4, we took a trip to visit Comarca Emberá at Parará Puru. This is an indigenous tribe located in the Chagres National Park, on the Chagres river. Our trip to Parará Puru, which is the community we visited, consisted of an hour bus ride inland and then a 15 minute boat ride. The experience was absolutely incredible and something that I think none of us will forget! The main reason for visiting Emberá was to see how this indigenous community has installed solar panels on their homes, school and Office of Tourism. The installation of these PV cells has allowed the community to rearrange their daily activities.  They are now able to spend the morning and evening hours to spend more time of their family life. Youth now have access to more nutricous food becaue beef, chicken and other meats purchased outside the community can now be stored and integrated into the children’s meals. A nutritious diet can impacts a student’s ability to learn in school.

The project is funded by AEA, the Energy and Environment Alliance. They provided funding to install 17 PV units in the community for a capicity of 2.325 kW. They provided training for 50 members of the community to learn how to install and maintain the systems. We later found out that these trained individuals gave their word that they would not leave the community to pursue additional options in life. This agreement would ensure that the use of photovoltaic systems within the community would maintain a strong presence.

The importance of solar power within the community has become so important that they have created a Solar Power Committe. This committee has a president, Jorge who was our guide, a vice president, treasure and representatives. These individuals are charged with overseeing the operations within the community and to develop solutions to changes within the community, such as how to obtain funding to purchase three new solar panels for the three new houses that were constructed after the completion of the project or how to ensure that each homowner has a battery pack that will store the electricity genertated. In the house we visited, the battery pack was no longer working. So currently they have created a short term fix to allow this homeowner to share a battery pack with a nearby neighbor.

Forest People House

Forest People House

Forest People House

Forest People House

Forest People House

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

Source google.com.pk
Madagascar Subhumid Forests
This ecoregion contains a large number of endemic species, found in the remaining forest patches and also in some wetland areas, but the remaining habitats are highly fragmented and surrounded by a sea of anthropogenic grasslands and agricultural areas that have almost no biological value. This ecoregion is the site of some of the major extinctions of recent times, including that of the world’s largest flightless bird (Aepyornis maximus), and a number of large lemurs. With only small fragmented areas of habitat left within most areas of this ecoregion, there is a high risk of further species extinction in the near future.

This ecoregion is an important part of the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot. Dominated by the nation of Madagascar, the fourth largest island on Earth, the hotspot also includes the independent nations of Seychelles (including Aldabra), the Comoros, Mauritius (including Rodrigues), and the French overseas departments of Réunion, Mayotte (one of the Comoros) and the Iles Esparses around Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

Location and General Description
The Madagascar Subhumid Forests are scattered in several "islands" of montane humid forest throughout the central highlands of Madagascar, the zone generally defined as above the coastal plain and escarpment starting at 900 meters. The remaining large areas of the forest habitat are in the Sambirano region in the northwest, portions of Amber Mountain (Montagne d’Ambre) in the north, significant areas of the northern highlands, and the middle elevational portions of certain massifs in the central highlands (e.g., Ankaratra and Andringitra). Also included are some wetlands and lakes (e.g., Lake Alaotra) and the "tapia" forest of the central highlands between 800-1600 m and in the dry southwest portion of the ecoregion. Also, a few remnant regions of forest, isolated and highly fragmented, remain scattered across the central highlands (e.g., Ambohitantely, Ambohijanahary, Isalo). In the extreme southwest of the island, the isolated mountain of Analavelona retains in the summital area (1000-1300 m) a remnant subhumid forest surrounded by much drier vegetation. Degraded forests, huge expanses of secondary grasslands and exotic tree plantations surround these habitats. This secondary vegetation is the result of human activity.
The subhumid forest ecoregion has been previously mapped as part of the eastern Madagascar regional center of endemism. To the east, these subhumid forests meet moist forests, in the lowland forest ecoregion around 800 m elevation, and to the west they merge into the dry deciduous forest ecoregion around 600 m elevation. At higher elevations (generally above 1,800 to 2,000 m) these habitats are replaced by ericoid thickets.

The rainfall is approximately 1,500 mm per year, although it may total as much as 2,000 mm in the Sambirano area in the northwest and as little as 600 mm in the southwest. The temperatures at higher elevations are mainly moderate, between 15° and 25°C. There is a cool, dry season between July and September and a warmer wet season during the rest of the year.

The underlying geology of the ecoregion is mainly ancient Precambrian basement rocks that have been deformed and uplifted over millions of years. There are a few areas of more recent lava flows, and some alluvial deposits associated with wetlands.

Vast grasslands now cover the central highlands at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 meters. There is some debate regarding the degree to which this upland area was formerly forested and the degrees to which humans have affected the fauna and flora. However, it is clear there have been very significant anthropogenic (human-caused) changes in the ecoregion. The central highlands was once home to a remarkable array of endemic species. These included several species of elephant birds (Aepyornithidae), including the world’s largest bird species (Aepyornis maximus), a giant tortoise, and several species of lemurs most of which were large bodied species, some larger than female gorillas today. All of these species have become extinct since the arrival of humans on the island around 2,000 years ago.

The secondary grasslands that cover most of the high, central highlands are composed of alien or pantropical grass and tree species. There are only 3 or 4 species of grass over vast areas, resulting in a virtually sterile landscape with extremely low species diversity and endemism. The dominant grasses are Aristida similis and A. rufescens, interspersed with a few herbaceaous species. Several species of Eucalyptus and Acacia trees have been introduced and are now the most common trees in the highlands. Some native, fire-resistant trees persist in areas of the central highlands, including the endemic palms Bismarckia nobilis and Ravenala madagscariensis and the tapia tree (Uapaca bojeri). Other native trees of the genera Sarcolaena, Tambourissa and Weinmannia are also found.

The Sambirano region in the northwest is a center of endemism and a transition zone between the species compositions (both plant and animal) of the western and the eastern regions of Madagascar. The montane forests of the Sambirano, starting at between 600 and 1000 meters, are very similar in structure to more eastern subhumid forests. Relatively little remains of the lowland forest between sea level and about 800 m, the zone that was separated as the Sambirano Domain. There are subhumid forests up to 1,800 m. This habitat changes to a more sclerophyllous forest at higher elevations. This higher ground, above 2000 m, including the Tsaratanana Massif, is included in the ericold thicket ecoregion.

There are few remaining patches of subhumid forest on the central highlands. Small patches are found on Ankaratra Massif, and some larger forest blocks are on the slopes of Andringitra and Tsaratanana massifs. At the higher elevations, the subhumid forest, also referred to as sclerophyllous montane forest, holds canopy trees that are 10 to 12 m in height, including species from the families Rubiaceae, Lauraceae, Verbenaceae and Ericaceae. At lower elevations, from 1,400 to 1,600 m, the forest has a 15 m canopy and includes species in the families Cunoniaceae, Araliaceae, Cornaceae, Celestraceae, Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae and Ebenaceae.

Amber Mountain (Montagne D’Ambre) contains a significant area of humid forest. An isolated basaltic mountain with a humid microclimate above 1000 m, it is surrounded by dry deciduous forests. At sea level, the annual precipitation is approximately 980 mm, while at the peak of Amber Mountain the precipitation averages 2,378 mm. The humid forest on the mountain slopes has a canopy 40 meters high, dominated by plants from the families Sapotaceae, Burseraceae, Monimiaceae, Lauraceae, Flacourtiaceae, Sterculiaceae, Myrtaceae, Annonaceae, Apocynaceae, Potaliaceae and Elaeocarpaceae. In addition to the floral diversity of the forest, the faunal diversity is high with 8 species of primates and nearly 80 species of birds, including the endemic species the Ambre Mountain Rock Thrush (Monticola erythronotus). As the natural habitats of this ecoregion experienced numerous vegetational shifts associated with Pleistocene climatic vicissitudes, many species are endemic and have very narrow altitudinal or isolated distributions.

The remaining "tapia" woodlands, in the southwest of the ecoregion are restricted in distribution. The largest intact areas of this habitat are found in the Isalo and Itremo massifs on sandstone and quartzite. They are characterized by a relatively open canopy dominated by members of the family Sarcolaenaceae and Euphorbiaceae, including the fire-resistant Uapaca bojeri and the genus Sarcolaena. The shrub layer consists of Asteraceae, Rubiaceae, and Leguminosae. There are also some endemic Kalanchoe and Aloe species.

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

Madagascar Subhumid Forests

The Eastern Arc Mountains

Source google.com.pk
The Eastern Arc Mountains
The Eastern Arc Mountains consist of a complex of ranges and peaks that are among the oldest in Africa, as are the forest communities of the region. This ecoregion has experienced relatively moist conditions for a very long time because of its close proximity to the Indian Ocean, even as periodic drying trends affected much of Africa.

As is true with most mountainous regions in Africa, this forest system is isolated from other similar areas by great expanses of lowland habitats. Isolation has produced a high level of endemism with many local species of plants and animals restricted to single mountain ranges.

Altitude, age, soils, rainfall, and distance from the coast all contribute to the unique environment. The current climate of these mountains is much wetter than the surrounding lands, with perhumid (rain every month) conditions and rainfall up to 3,000 mm per year recorded in the eastern Uluguru Mountains.

Many locally endemic species of plants and animals are restricted to single mountain ranges, for e.g. the Usambara Mountains of northeast Tanzania alone have some 50 endemic tree species.
Size:
24,000 sq. km (9,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Geographic Location:
Eastern Africa: Central Tanzania, extending into Kenya

Conservation Status:
Critical/Endangered
Local Species

Species include numerous birds such as Taita thrush (Turdus helleri), Usambara akalat (Sheppardia sharpei), Usambara eagle-owl (Bubo vosseleri), and the banded sunbird (Anthreptes rubritorques).

It has been estimated that there are over 2000 plant species in 800 genera in these montane and surrounding forests. At least 800 of these species are believed endemic to this ecoregion The forests are the centres of global endemism for the African violet (Saintpaulia) and Busy Lizzies (Impatiens), also are supported populations of the spectacular Usambara violet (Saintpaulia ionantha), Msambo tree (Allanblackia stuhlmanni), and a large Wild nutmeg (Cephalosphaera usambarensis).

These forests are also home to mammal species, including the endemic Abbot's duiker (Cephalophus spadix), Angolan black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis), forest-dwelling populations of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and Harvey's duiker (Cephalophus harveyi).

Also found here are bizarre amblypygids, which live in dark hollows and look more like the monster in "Alien" rather than relatives of the common house spider! The strictly endemic reptiles include 10 species of chameleons (seven Chamaeleo and 3 Rhampholeon), 3 species of worm snakes (Typhlops), and 6 species of colubrid snakes in 4 genera.
FEATURED SPECIES

Amblypygid (Damon diadema) is also known as tailless whip scorpions. The term“amblypygid" means "blunt rump", a reference to a lack of the telson ("tail") carried by related species. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Some species are subterranean; many are nocturnal.

During the day, they may hide under logs, bark, stones, or leaves and prefer a humid environment. Amblypygids may range from 5 to 40 mm. Their bodies are broad and highly flattened. Their very thin modified legs can extend several times the length of body. They have no silk glands or poisonous fangs, but can have prominent pincer-like pedipalps.

Amblypygids often move about sideways on their 6 walking legs, with one "whip" pointed in the direction of travel while the other probes on either side of them. Prey are located with these "whips", captured with pedipalps, and then torn to pieces with chelicerae.

Read more:
ambiypygid at wikipedia
Threats

Few of the mountains have protected status, the rest threatened by agricultural expansion on lower slopes, firewood collection, and grazing. In some cases, there is significant commercial logging (mainly using pit-sawing techniques), and in other areas there is encroachment for farm plots and for the collection of other wood products for firewood and poles.

The Eastern Arc Mountains

The Eastern Arc Mountains

The Eastern Arc Mountains

The Eastern Arc Mountains

The Eastern Arc Mountains

Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

Source google.com.pk
Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea
The Vogelkop-Aru Lowland Rain Forests [AA0128] are diverse in terms of both geography and biodiversity, and they constitute the majority of western Irian Jaya, the rest of the region being either montane forest or freshwater swamp forest. These relatively intact lowland tropical rain forests are among the largest and richest forests in the Australasian Realm. Limestone and ultramafic rock formations support unique and restricted-range floras.

SCIENTIFIC CODE
(AA0128)
ECOREGION CATEGORY
Australasia
SIZE
29,900 square miles
STATUS
Critical/Endangered
HABITATS
Description
Location and General Description
This ecoregion is made up of the lowland and hill (less than 1,000 m) moist forests of the Vogelkop and Bomberai peninsulas and the surrounding islands, including Misool, Salawati, Waigeo, and Kepulauan Aru in western Irian Jaya. The climate of the ecoregion is tropical wet, which is characteristic of this part of Melanesia, located in the western Pacific Ocean north of Australia (National Geographic Society 1999). Northern New Guinea is a very active tectonic area with a complex geologic history (Bleeker 1983). The surface geology of this ecoregion is composed predominantly of sedimentary rock and recent alluvium, with some large areas of limestone or ultramafics near Sorong and on Waigeo and Misool islands (Petocz 1989).

This ecoregion of plains and alluvial forests is among the most floristically rich in all of New Guinea and includes many important timber species (Petocz 1989). Most of the ecoregion is composed of a combination of alluvial and hill type tropical wet evergreen forest, with smaller amounts of limestone forest (MacKinnon 1997). Lowland alluvial forest has a canopy that is multitiered and irregular, with many emergents. The forest understory contains a shrub and herb layer with a variety of climbers, epiphytes, and ferns (Petocz 1989). Palms may be common in the shrub layer (Paijmans 1975). The very mixed floristic composition of the canopy trees includes Pometia pinnata, Octomeles sumatrana, Ficus spp., Alstonia scholaris, and Terminalia spp. Additional important genera include Pterocarpus, Artocarpus, Planchonella, Canarium, Elaeocarpus, Cryptocarya, Celtis, Dracontomelum, Dysoxylum, Syzygium, Vitex, Spondias, and Intsia (Paijmans 1975). The somewhat lower-canopy, more closed lowland hill forest contains more open shrub layer but a denser herbaceous layer. Palms are fewer in number. The dominant canopy trees include species of Pometia, Canarium, Anisoptera, Cryptocarya, Terminalia, Syzygium, Ficus, Celtis, Dysoxylum, and Buchanania. Koompassia, Dillenia, Eucalyptopsis, Vatica, and Hopea are locally abundant. Dense stands of Araucaria, the tallest tropical trees in the world, are present in scattered locations (Paijmans 1975; Nightingale 1992).

On Waigeo Island and the adjacent northwest coast of New Guinea, ultramafic rocks result in a serpentine flora, a belt of low shrubby vegetation composed of Alphitonia spp., Dillenia alata, Myrtella beccari, and Styphelia abnormis (Brooks 1987).

Aru Island is composed of rain forest, savanna, and mangroves (R. Johns, pers. comm., 2000).

Biodiversity Features
Generally, this ecoregion exhibits low to moderate richness and endemism compared with those of other ecoregions in Indo-Malaysia. Reptile and amphibian richness, though poorly studied, is thought to be high, however.

Forty-seven mammal species are found in the ecoregion, of which eight are endemic or near endemic (Flannery 1995; Flannery and Groves 1998) (table 1). The mammalian fauna consists of a wide variety of tropical Australasian marsupials, including tree kangaroos (Flannery 1995). The Arfak long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni) was considered endangered before it was split from the Papuan echidna (Zaglossus bartoni) (IUCN 2000) and presumably would still be considered so because it is a focal prey item for humans (Flannery 1995; Bonaccorso et al., in press). The dusky pademelon (Thylogale bruinji) and New Guinea quoll (Dasyurus albopunctatus) are considered vulnerable (IUCN 2000).

Table 1. Endemic and Near-Endemic Mammal Species.

Family Species
Tachyglossidae Zaglossus bruijni
Dasyuridae Phascolosorex doriae
Macropodidae Dendrolagus ursinus
Macropodidae Thylogale brunii
Macropodidae Dorcopsis muelleri
Muridae Melomys lorentzi
Muridae Pogonomelomys mayeri
Muridae Pogonomelomys bruijni

An asterisk signifies that the species' range is limited to this ecoregion.

The avifauna of the ecoregion has a clear Australasian flavor, with representatives of several Australasian families including Ptilonorhynchidae, Eopsaltridae, Meliphagidae, and Paradisaeidae There are 366 bird species inhabiting the ecoregion (Beehler et al. 1986; Coates 1985). This ecoregion corresponds almost exactly with the West Papuan lowlands EBA (the EBA also includes the Southern New Guinea Freshwater Swamp Forests [AA0121] ecoregion but does not include Aru Island), which includes nineteen species of restricted-range birds, nine of which are found nowhere else on Earth (Stattersfield et al. 1998). Twenty-one bird species are endemic or near endemic (table 2). Bruijn's brush-turkey (Aepypodius bruijnii) and the western crowned pigeon (Goura cristata) are considered vulnerable (IUCN 2000).

Table 2. Endemic and Near-Endemic Bird Species.

Family Common Name Species
Megapodiidae Bruijn's brush-turkey Aepypodius bruijnii*
Megapodiidae Moluccan scrubfowl Megapodius wallacei
Megapodiidae Red-billed brush-turkey Talegalla cuvieri
Megapodiidae Dusky scrubfowl Megapodius freycinet
Columbidae Western crowned pigeon Goura cristata
Columbidae Wallace's fruit-dove Ptilinopus wallacii
Columbidae Spice imperial-pigeon Ducula myristicivora
Loriidae Violet-necked lory Eos squamata
Loriidae Black lory Chalcopsitta atra
Alcedinidae Spangled kookaburra Dacelo tyro
Alcedinidae Kofiau paradise-kingfisher Tanysiptera ellioti*
Alcedinidae Red-breasted paradise-kingfisher Tanysiptera nympha
Alcedinidae Little paradise-kingfisher Tanysiptera hydrocharis
Corvidae Brown-headed crow Corvus fuscicapillus
Monarchidae Black-backed monarch Monarcha julianae*
Dicaeidae Olive-crowned flowerpecker Dicaeum pectorale
Meliphagidae Olive honeyeater Lichmera argentauris
Meliphagidae Silver-eared honeyeater Lichmera alboauricularis
Paradisaeidae Wilson's bird-of-paradise Cicinnurus respublica*
Paradisaeidae Red bird-of-paradise Paradisaea rubra*
Paradisaeidae Greater bird-of-paradise Paradisaea apoda

An asterisk signifies that the species' range is limited to this ecoregion.

The North Salawati Island Nature Reserve Centre of Plant Diversity is included in this ecoregion (Davis et al. 1995). Near Sorong several endemic plants have been collected, but the flora is poorly known. Areas of limestone and ultramafic rocks support high concentrations of unique plants near Sorong and on Waigeo and Misool islands (R. Johns, pers. comm., 2000).

Current Status
About 90 percent of the natural habitat in the ecoregion is still intact. The eight protected areas cover 5,410 km2 (7 percent) of the ecoregion (table 3). Three of these are large (more than 1,000 km2) and are still linked by natural habitat (MacKinnon 1997).

Table 3. WCMC (1997) Protected Areas That Overlap with the Ecoregion.

Protected Area Area (km2) IUCN Category
Batanta Barat 70 I
Salawati Utara 620 I
Sidei-Wibain 30 IV
Misool Selatan 1,160 I
Pulau Waigeo 1,310 I
Pulau Kobroor 1,160 PRO
Pulau Baun 100 IV
Pegunungan Weyland [AA0105], [AA1002] 960 PRO
Total 5,410

Ecoregion numbers of protected areas that overlap with additional ecoregions are listed in brackets.

Types and Severity of Threats
Logging concessions that overlap with protected areas are a major source of threat. These incursions into the protected area system from logging, when combined with the developments and infrastructure planned as part of the transmigration program (see Petocz 1989), exacerbate the threats to biodiversity in Irian Jaya, especially in the lowland forests, which are more accessible.

Hunting is a problem for some species, especially the western crowned pigeon (Goura cristata), northern cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus), and Nicobar pigeon (Caloena nicobarica) (Stattersfield et al. 1998).

On Misool Island, population pressure is responsible for the development and destruction of forests near villages for traditional agriculture, logging, and fire. The Sorong region is the petroleum center of Irian Jaya, and several government-sponsored resettlement initiatives are located in the vicinity (R. Johns, pers. comm., 2000).

Justification of Ecoregion Delineation
Using Whitmore's (1984) map of the vegetation of Malesia and MacKinnon's (1997) reconstruction of the original vegetation, we delineated the large areas of distinct habitat types as ecoregions. Thus, the Vogelkop-Aru Lowland Rain Forests [AA0128] ecoregion represents the tropical lowland moist forests in the Vogelkop region of New Guinea. The ecoregion largely corresponds to subunits P3d and P3b identified by MacKinnon (1997); however, we placed the tropical montane moist forests (more than 1,000) in the Vogelkop Montane Rain Forests [AA0127]. Udvardy (1975) placed these ecoregions in the Papuan biogeographic province of the Oceanian Realm.

References
References for this ecoregion are currently consolidated in one document for the entire Indo-Pacific realm.
Indo-Pacific Reference List
Prepared by: John Morrison

Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

New Guinea is the largest tropical island in the world, and contains an extraordinary diversity of ecosystems. It is an active tectonic area with a complex geologic history, which is represented by the presence of sandstone, limestone, and volcanic rocks.

Forests cover 65% of the land area and sustain many organisms found here and nowhere else. More than 6,000 species of plants, 44 species of birds, and 38 species of mammals enjoy the tropical wet climate of this ecoregion.

The Vogelkop montane rain forests are composed predominantly of tropical montane evergreen forest and tropical wet evergreen forest, with lesser amounts of tropical montane forest on limestone, limestone forest, and tropical semi-evergreen forest.

The Central Range montane forests contain some of the spectacular arrays of vascular plants and herpetofauna in Indo-Malaysia. It also has high endemism rates for mammals, birds, and vascular plants. Southeastern Papuan rain forests are extremely rich because of a diverse range of habitats including coastal, lowland, and montane.
Size:
288,000 sq. km (110,000 sq.miles)
Habitat type:
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Geographic Location:
The island of New Guinea, north of Australia

Conservation Status:
Relatively Stable/Intact
Local Species
Look out for fascinating small mammals such as the Doria's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus dorianus) - brown, furry marsupials with soft, yellow tails, the only member of the kangaroo family that climb trees, the striped bandicoot (Microperoryctes longicauda), long-tailed pygmy possum (Cercartetus caudatus), the endemic coppery ringtail (Pseudochirops cupreus), mountain cuscus (P. carmelitae), the endemic Telefomin horseshoe-bat (Hipposideros corynophyllus), and the long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni).

Echidnas are unusual egg-laying mammals that shuffle about searching for ants, termites, and other invertebrates, which they capture with their long tongues. Bird species include the king bird of paradise (Cicinnurus regius), the rare black sicklebill (Epimachus fastuosus), and the endemic blue bird of paradise (Paradisaea rudolphi). The Huon tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is found nowhere else on Earth and is considered endangered.
FEATURED SPECIES

The Telefomin roundleaf bat is a brown, long-haired, medium-sized species of its type, with a long forearm and short tail.  It weighs approximately 16 g and its head-body length is slightly less than 60 mm (2.4 inches). Found in mountainous areas at altitudes from 1500 - 1800 m, this bat is exclusively a cave-dweller, roosting deep in limestone caves, and is insectivorous.  It is solitary or lives in small groups. Both males and females have been found in the same cave.

It is named after the Telefomin area of Papua New Guinea where this bat appears to be concentrated.  The name ‘horseshoe’ bat is derived from the fact that the lower part of the nose-leaf, which covers the upper lip and around the nostrils, is horseshoe-shaped.

Read more:
Telefomin Roundleaf bat at animalinfo.org
Threats
Logging, road construction, shifting cultivation, agricultural expansion, sawmilling and related livestock activities all threaten the integrity of these forests. Montane tree kangaroos are sensitive to over-hunting.

WWF’s work
WWF has a large programme based in Papua New Guinea dating back to 1990 when the South Pacific Programme was established in the region. PNG was the first country in the world to adopt the WWF ecoregions as the basis for its environmental planning systems, which it termed Conservation Planning Regions. WWF works closely with PNG's Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) on its national planning framework for biodiversity strategy and action planning, ensuring the necessary resources are in place to implement sustainable use and managed protection programmes.

                 Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

                 Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

                  Western Portion of The Island of New Guinea

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests
Location and General Description
This lowland and montane ecoregion is made up of the Owen Stanley Range and surrounding lowland and coastal areas in southeastern PNG. The climate of the ecoregion is tropical wet, which is characteristic of this part of Melanesia, located in the western Pacific Ocean north of Australia (National Geographic Society 1999). The surface geology of the Central Cordillera, of which the Owen Stanleys are an extension, is generally composed of metamorphic and intrusive igneous rocks. More specifically, this ecoregion is composed of metamorphosed Mesozoic greywacke sandstone, siltstone, and marine volcanics overlain by Miocene intrusives, Pliocene marine and terrestrial fine-grained sediments, and Quaternary lavas and pyroclastics (Bleeker 1983).

Most of this ecoregion is composed of tropical wet evergreen forest, with a significant (25 percent) percentage of tropical montane evergreen forest. Smaller percentages of upper montane and freshwater swamp forest are also found (MacKinnon 1997). Coastal vegetation contains Casuarina, whereas mixed coastal vegetation contains Calophyllum, Terminalia, and Anisoptera (MacKinnon 1997).

Lowland forest up to 1,400 m on the north side of the Owen Stanleys is made up of Pometia, Terminalia, Myristica, Horsfieldia, Celtis, and Ficus (MacKinnon 1997). Lowland forest is made up of both alluvial and hill types (Paijmans 1975). Lowland alluvial forest has a canopy that is multitiered and irregular, with many emergents. The forest understory contains a shrub-and-herb layer with a variety of climbers, epiphytes, and ferns (Petocz 1989). Palms may be common in the shrub layer (Paijmans 1975). The somewhat lower-canopy, more closed lowland hill forest contains more open shrub layer but a denser herbaceous layer. Palms are fewer in number. The dominant canopy trees include species of Pometia, Canarium, Anisoptera, Cryptocarya, Terminalia, Syzygium, Ficus, Celtis, Dysoxylum, and Buchanania. Koompassia, Dillenia, Eucalyptopsis, Vatica, and Hopea are locally abundant. Dense stands of Araucaria, the tallest tropical trees in the world, are present in scattered locations (Paijmans 1975; Nightingale 1992).

Although they are subject to variable climates and topography, montane forests are smaller crowned and have more even canopies than lowland hill forest. Tree densities can be high, and the shrub density is also high (Paijmans 1975). Lower montane forest transitioning in from the lowlands is dominated by oaks such as Castanopsis acuminatissima, Lithocarpus, elaeocarps, and laurels. Seventy-meter Araucaria may form thick stands in lower areas. Nothofagus, sometimes in monotypic stands, is conspicuous in the moss-covered mid and upper zones of the ecoregion (Davis et al. 1995).

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

Papua New Guinea (PNG) possesses one of the planet's largest remaining tropical rainforest. At least seventy-five percent of its original forest cover is still standing, occupying vast, biologically rich tracts over 100,000 square miles in all. Its forests provide the habitat for about 200 species of mammals, 20,000 species of plants, 1,500 species of trees and 750 species of birds, half of which are endemic to the island. It has been estimated that between 5 and 7% of the known species in the world live in PNG. Rare plants and animals like the largest orchid, the largest butterfly, the longest lizard, the largest pigeon and the smallest parrot ever registered live in these forests.

The forests also constitute the home of the indigenous peoples, the Maisin. For the Maisin, forests provide everything from food and medicinal plants, to materials for houses, canoes and tools. Under the Papua New Guinea constitution, the Maisin are the legal owners of their traditional lands. But these forests and forest peoples are under threat due to large-scale logging activities and oil palm plantations. Oil palm plantations are not aimed at the production of edible oil for the local population and almost the entire production is export-oriented.
ustainable Development and Forest Conservation


Funded by the Chevron Oil company and Greenpeace and agreed by the PNG government after being taken to court by the Maisin people. The PNG government has been under pressure from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Australian Government to enforce environmentally-friendly changes in their development programme. Awareness patrols to remote areas by local environmental charity groups have been spreading the message of what exploitative logging will do to rural communities. The recent screening on PNG television station EMTV of the Rainforest Information Centre's documentary Mama Bilong Olgeta on the PNG logging industry was a great success.

                     The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

The Southeastern Papuan Rain Forests

Beetle

Beetle
The female beetle lays her eggs in the pores (vessels) and checks of hardwood timbers, and larvae feed upon starch and other nutrients in the sapwood. Therefore, if the sapwood has insufficient starch, or its pores are too narrow for the female’s ovipositor, the hardwood should be immune to attack.
An iodine test for starch is often used at sawmills to determine the susceptibility of timber. This spot test is described in Australian Standard 1604.1.
As attack by lyctine borers is restricted to sapwood (the trees outer band of living, sap-containing tissue), and as the sapwood band in most eucalypts is thin (25 mm or less), rectangular timber beams sawn from circular logs often lack sapwood, or include it along just one edge or corner.
Therefore, while many houses in the southern regions of Australia (Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Perth) have hardwood bearers, joists and scantling timbers, the extent of attack is normally inconsequential, and traditionally, treatment has been considered unnecessary.
The need to treat or immunise sapwood from lyctine beetles is greater in appearance grade products (for example, floor boards and architrave).
Also, the timber cut from plantation and regrowth forests tends to have higher proportions of sapwood, so that the need for immunisation in the southern states is increasing.
Lyctines can cause serious structural weakening to timber that has high proportions of sapwood.
In Queensland and New South Wales, local species such as spotted gum (Corymbia maculata) and many of the rainforest timbers have wide sapwood bands.
Legislation was enacted some 50-60 years ago making it illegal to sell untreated lyctine susceptible sapwood in those states.
Immunisation from lyctines is most often achieved using boron treatments.
Other preservatives being used include the pyrethroids or low concentrations of the copper-based preservatives. The timber treatments accepted for the control of lyctines are described in AS 1604 under the H1 (hazard level 1) category.
Kiln drying usually kills any wood borers inhabiting timber, but does not prevent lyctines from re-infesting after the timber is removed from the kiln.
As with the other beetle borers, lyctines go through four main stages of development, from egg, to larva or grub, pupa and adult beetle. The adult beetle is dark brown, and 2-6 mm long.
In the cooler southern regions, lyctine beetles emerge from the timber and fly during spring and summer. In warmer regions, lyctine adults may emerge throughout the year.
The C-shaped, white-coloured larvae cause most damage to sapwood, as the adult beetle does not feed on wood, other than to emerge from its pupa.
To further its escape, the beetle may also bore through plasterboard or other linings attached to the wood. Emergence holes are round (not oval as for longicorn borers), 1-3 mm in diameter and lack the dark stain typical of pinhole and ambrosia borers (borers that attack live or freshly felled unseasoned timber).
The frass (chewed wood/faeces) of lyctines is like a fine flour or talc (unlike the gritty feel of Anobium frass). It can collect as small conical piles under infested timbers.
Larval galleries mostly follow the grain and are tightly packed with frass. The adult’s emergence hole is essentially empty of frass.
Susceptible timber is usually attacked within one or two years of felling. Activity normally continues for up to five years (sometimes longer) until starch and sapwood integrity is exhausted. However, frass may continue to be discharged from the attacked timber due to vibration (for example, while walking on floorboards) for many years.

Beetle

Beetle

Pigeons Are Highly Sociable Animals

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Pigeons Are Highly Sociable Animals
Pigeons are incredibly complex and intelligent animals. They are one of only a small number of species to pass the ‘mirror test’ – a test of self recognition. They can also recognise each letter of the human alphabet, differentiate between photographs, and even distinguish different humans within a photograph.
Pigeons are renowned for their outstanding navigational abilities. They use a range of skills, such as using the sun as a guide and an internal ‘magnetic compass’. A study at Oxford University found that they will also use landmarks as signposts and will travel along man-made roads and motorways, even changing direction at junctions.
Pigeons are highly sociable animals. They will often be seen in flocks of 20-30 birds.
Pigeons mate for life, and tend to raise two chicks at the same time.
Both female and male pigeons share responsibility of caring for and raising young. Both sexes take turn incubating the eggs and both feed the chicks ‘pigeon milk’ – a special secretion from the lining of the crop which both sexes produce.
Pigeons have excellent hearing abilities. They can detect sounds at far lower frequencies than humans are able to, and can thus hear distant storms and volcanoes.
Despite the social perception as dirty and disease-ridden, pigeons are actually very clean animals and there is very little evidence to suggest that they are significant transmitters of disease.
Pigeons and humans have lived in close proximity for thousands of years. The first recordings of this date back to Mesopotamis, modern Iraq, in 3000bc.
Although pigeon droppings are seen by some as a problem in modern society, a few centuries ago pigeon guano was seen as extremely valuable. It was viewed as the best available fertiliser and armed guards would even stand by dovecotes (pigeon houses) to stop others taking the droppings.
Pigeons can fly at altitudes up to and beyond 6000 feet, and at an average speed of 77.6 mph. The fastest recorded speed is 92.5 mph.
Pigeons are fed by many members of different religions including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs for spiritual reasons. Some older Sikhs will ceremoniously feed them in honour of Guru Gobind Singh, a high priest who was renowned as a friend to pigeons.

Pigeons

Pigeons

Pigeons

Pigeons

Pigeons

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

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World's Largest Bird, Ostriches
The flightless ostrich is the world's largest bird.
Ostriches have three stomachs.
Unlike all other living birds, the ostrich secretes urine separately from faeces.
Ostriches are the fast runners of any birds or other two-legged animal and can sprint at over 70 km/hr, covering up to 5m in a single stride.
Ostriches’ running is aided by having just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the large nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof.
Ostriches’ wings reach a span of about 2 metres and are used in mating displays, to shade chicks, to cover the naked skin of the upper legs and flanks to conserve heat, and as "rudders" to help them change direction while running.
When threatened ostriches run although their powerful, long legs can be formidable weapons, capable of killing a human or a potential predator like a lion with a forward kick.
Ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone and  during breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless periods they live in nomadic ‘herds’ of five to 50 birds led by a top hen, that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as zebras or antelopes.
Territorial fights between males for a harem of two to seven females usually last just minutes, but they can easily cause death through slamming their heads into opponents.
Ostriches perform a complex mating ritual consisting of the cock alternating wing beats until he attracts a mate, when they will go to the mating area and he will drive away all intruders. They graze until their behaviour is synchronized, then the feeding becomes secondary and the process takes on a ritualistic appearance. The cock will then excitedly flap alternate wings again, and start poking on the ground with his bill. He will then violently flap his wings to symbolically clear out a nest in the dirt. Then, while the hen runs circle around him with lowered wings, he will wind his head in a spiral motion. She will drop to the ground and he will mount for copulation.
All of the herd's hens place their eggs in the dominant hen's 3m-wide nest, though her own are given the prominent centre place; each female can determine her own eggs amongst others.
The giant eggs are the largest of any living bird at 15cm long and weighing as much as two dozen chicken eggs, though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird.
The eggs are incubated by the dominant female by day and by the male by night, using the colouration of the two sexes to escape detection of the nest, as the drab female blends in with the sand, while the black male is nearly undetectable in the dark.
When the eggs hatch after 35 to 45 days incubation, the male usually defends the hatchlings and teaches them to feed, although males and females cooperate in rearing chicks.
Contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand: the myth probably originates from the bird's defensive behaviour of lying low at the approach of trouble and pressing their long necks to the ground in an attempt to become less visible. Their plumage blends well with sandy soil and, from a distance, gives the appearance that they have buried their heads in the sand.
The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its decorative feathers and also for its meat which is marketed commercially and its skin is used for leather products.
Ostriches have inspired cultures and civilizations for 5,000 years in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
In some African countries, people race each other on the back of ostriches with special saddles, reins, and bits.
The wild ostrich population has declined drastically in the last 200 years, with most surviving birds in game parks or on farms.
Unlike most birds the males have a copulatory organ, which is retractable and 20 cm long.
Lacking teeth, ostriches swallow pebbles to grind their food and an adult ostrich carries about 1kg of stones in its stomach.
Ostriches can go without drinking for several days, using metabolic water and moisture in ingested roots, seeds and insects, but they enjoy liquid water and frequently take baths where it is available.
The ostrich has the largest eye of any land animal, measuring almost 5 cm across, allowing predators such as lions to be seen at long distances.

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

World's Largest Bird, Ostriches

Cultivation Forest Trees

Source google.com.pk
Cultivation Forest Trees
arboriculture,  cultivation of trees, shrubs, and woody plants for shading and decorating. Arboriculture includes propagating, transplanting, pruning, applying fertilizer, spraying to control insects and diseases, cabling and bracing, treating cavities, identifying plants, diagnosing and treating tree damage and ailments, arranging plantings for their ornamental values, and removing trees. The well-being of individual plants is the major concern of arboriculture, in contrast to such related fields as silviculture and agriculture, in which the major concern is the welfare of a large group of plants as a whole.

The basic principles and objectives of arboriculture are of ancient origin. Early Egyptians transplanted trees with a ball of earth and originated the practice of shaping the soil around a newly planted tree to form a saucer to retain water, both still practiced. About 300 bc the Greek philosopher Theophrastus wrote Peri phytōn historia (“Inquiry into Plants”), in which he discussed transplanting of trees and the treatment of tree wounds. Virgil’s Georgics portrays Roman knowledge of tree culture. The English horticulturist John Evelyn, in his Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest-trees, and the Propagation of Timber (1664), offered advice on pruning, insect control, wound treatment, and transplanting.

Trees or plants may be propagated by seeding, grafting, layering, or cutting. In seeding, seeds are usually planted in either a commercial or home nursery in which intensive care can be given for several years until the plants are of a size suitable for transplanting on the desired site. In soil layering, the shoots, or lower branches of the parent plant, are bent to the ground and covered with moist soil of good quality. When roots have developed, which may require a year or more, the branch is severed from the parent and transplanted. In an alternative technique, air layering, the branch is deeply slit and the wound covered by a ball of earth, moss, or similar material. The ball, enclosed in a divided pot supported from underneath, or in a sturdy paper cone, is kept moist. As in soil layering, the branch is severed and transplanted after roots have developed. Root cuttings can be used for propagating trees that do not normally produce roots from stems. Tree species such as willow and poplar that sucker, or send up shoots readily, are usually propagated from stem cuttings. Cuttings are made from deciduous plants during dormancy, preferably from the terminal growing shoots of the current season. Pieces 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimetres) long with two or more buds are tied in bundles and stored in damp sand or moss for callus formation before planting in prepared beds. Root formation may be stimulated by application of growth-promoting chemicals or growth hormones.

In treating tree-trunk wounds in which large areas of bark are torn away, the bark around the wound is trimmed back to sound tissue and, at the top and bottom of the injury, trimmed to form a pointed ellipse of the wound area. The exposed wood is covered with wound dressing material, protecting it from wood decay fungi.

Flexible cables (guys) or rigid braces are used to support recently transplanted trees until the roots become established, or to lessen the danger that a tree with a weakened root system will be blown over by the wind; bracing is also used to support unduly long or heavy branches, to prevent splits developing at branch forks, or to permit healing of splits already developed.

Cultivation Forest Trees

Cultivation Forest Trees

Cultivation Forest Trees

Cultivation Forest Trees

Cultivation Forest Trees

Cultivation Forest Trees

Cultivation Forest Trees

Forest Temperate

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Forest Temperate
Forest, vegetation type with a more or less continuous canopy of broad-leaved trees. Such forests occur between approximately 25° and 50° latitude in both hemispheres (see Figure 1). Toward the polar regions they grade into boreal forests, which are dominated by evergreen conifers, so that mixed forests containing both deciduous and coniferous trees occupy intermediate areas. Temperate forests usually are classified into two main groups: deciduous and evergreen.
eciduous forests are found in regions of the Northern Hemisphere that have moist, warm summers and frosty winters—primarily eastern North America, eastern Asia, and western Europe. In contrast, evergreen forests—excepting boreal forests, which are covered in boreal forest—typically grow in areas with mild, nearly frost-free winters. They fall into two subcategories—broad-leaved forests and sclerophyllous forests. (Sclerophyllous vegetation has small, hard, thick leaves.) The former grow in regions that have reliably high, year-round rainfall; the latter occur in areas with lower, more erratic rainfall. Broad-leaved forests dominate the natural vegetation of New Zealand; they are significantly represented in South America, eastern Australia, southern China, Korea, and Japan; and they occur in less well-developed form in small areas of southeastern North America and southern Africa. Sclerophyllous forests occur particularly in Australia and in the Mediterranean region.

Origin
Temperate forests originated during the period of cooling of world climate that began at the start of the Cenozoic Era (65.5 million years ago). As global climates cooled, climatic gradients steepened with increasing latitude, and areas with a hot, wet climate became restricted to equatorial regions. At temperate latitudes, climates became progressively cooler, drier, and more seasonal. Many plant lineages that were unable to adapt to new conditions became extinct, but others evolved in response to the climatic changes, eventually dominating the new temperate forests. In areas that differed least from the previously tropical environments—where temperate evergreen forests now grow—the greatest numbers of plant and animal species survived in forms most similar to those of their tropical ancestors. Where conditions remained relatively moist but temperatures dropped in winter, deciduous trees evolved from evergreen rainforest ancestors. In areas that became much more dry—though not to the extent that tree development was inhibited and only scrubland or desert environments were favoured—sclerophyllous trees evolved.

During the rapid climatic fluctuations of the past two million years in which conditions alternated between dry, cold glacial states—the ice ages of some northern temperate regions—and warmer, moister interglacial intervals, tree species of temperate forests had to migrate repeatedly to remain within climates suitable for their survival. Such migration was carried out by seed dispersal, and trees that were able to disperse their seeds the farthest had an advantage. In the North American and European regions where ice-sheet development during glacial intervals was most extensive, the distances that had to be traversed were greatest, and many species simply died out. Extinctions occurred not only where migration distances were great but also where mountains or seas provided barriers to dispersal, as in southern Europe. Thus, many trees that were formerly part of the European temperate forests have become extinct in the floristically impoverished forest regions of western Europe and are restricted to small refuge areas such as the Balkans and the Caucasus. For example, buckeye (Aesculus) and sweet gum (Liquidambar) are two trees that no longer occur naturally in most parts of Europe, having disappeared during the climatic turmoil of the past two million years.

Human activities have had pronounced effects on the nature and extent of modern temperate forests. As long ago as 8,000 years, most sclerophyllous forests of the Mediterranean region had been cut over for timber or cleared to make space for agricultural pursuits. By 4,000 years ago in China the same process led to the removal of most broad-leaved and deciduous forests. In Europe of 500 years ago the original deciduous forests had disappeared, although they are remembered in nursery tales and other folklore as the deep, wild woods in which children and princesses became lost and in which dwarfs and wild animals lived.

Forest Temperate 

Forest Temperate 

Forest Temperate 

Forest Temperate 

Forest Temperate 

Forest Temperate