Miriam Supuma is a conservationist in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She was the co-founder and co-director of the PNG Institute of Biological Research (PNGIBR), a scientific research NGO. Her field research has centred around Birds of Paradise, particularly in relation to the use of their feathers for traditional adornment by people in the highlands of PNG.
Supuma's father worked for the police department and was posted to several different rural locations, accompanied by his family. She was particularly influenced by their time in the Western Province of PNG, close to the town of Merauke in the Indonesia province of Papua. This is a region of considerable bird diversity that receives many migratory species. She was given freedom to roam around and explore the forests and freshwater streams. [1]
Supuma went to the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) to study for a degree in biology, majoring in ecology. During her final year, she was selected to participate in a one-month training course being run by the Wildlife Conservation Society in PNG. This gave her the opportunity to fly to remote areas and created in her an awareness of peoples' dependence on their environment. The experience led to her deciding that she wanted to work in the field of conservation. Her research that led to her first-class honours degree at UPNG was carried out on forest dynamics in Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area, in the PNG highlands. She later studied between 2004 and 2005 for a master's degree in tropical rainforest ecology at James Cook University in North Queensland, Australia, an area with considerable tropical rainforest. [1] [2] [3]
After obtaining the master's degree, Supuma worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCSPNG) as a conservationist. She later became co-director of WCSPNG, working in its Goroka office in the Eastern Highlands Province. In 2008, together with Banak Gamui, she founded the PNG Institute of Biological Research (PNGIBR), a not-for-profit association formed to ensure a biologically sustainable future for PNG, that conducted research and trained PNG biologists and conservationists, while aiming to ensure that information was shared with policy makers, landowners and PNG citizens. One of the activities she carried out with the PNGIBR was to survey the use of Bird of Paradise feathers and other adornments at the annual Goroka Show, which is attended by about 100 tribes wearing traditional costumes. [2] [4] [5] [6]
Supuma collaborated with the BBC to make a film on Birds of Paradise, which was first broadcast in 2009 in the BBC's Natural World series, being introduced and narrated by David Attenborough. It was also broadcast by PBS in the USA as Birds of the Gods . The programme follows her, and Paul Igag, an ornithologist, as they search for the birds in the rainforest. [5] [7] [8]
In 2013 Supuma left PNGIBR to study for a PhD in natural resource management, again at James Cook University. She received an Australian Leadership Award scholarship, as well as an Allison Sudrajat Award, given to only two people from PNG in any one year. Her research concentrated on conservation risks to endemic bird species associated with subsistence use and climate change. Her intention was to influence national policy in the areas of natural management, land use, and conservation planning to enable better protection of PNG's flora and fauna, as well as the country's cultural diversity and heritage. Her thesis was entitled Endemic birds in Papua New Guinea's montane forests: human use and conservation. [2] [4] [9]
After obtaining her PhD, Supuma worked briefly with the Port Moresby Nature Park before joining The Christensen Fund, an organization that assists indigenous communities. She was responsible for supporting local groups in Melanesia to apply for grants and carry out the necessary monitoring and implementation. In 2021 she joined the Flourishing Diversity Programme of the NGO, Synchronicity Earth, based in PNG. [1] [2]
Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a town of approximately 19,000 people (2000), 1,600 meters above sea level. It has an airport and is on the "Highlands Highway", about 285 km (177 mi) from Lae in Morobe province and 90 km (56 mi) from the nearby town of Kainantu also in the Eastern Highlands. Other nearby towns include Kundiawa in Simbu Province and Mount Hagen in Western Highlands Province. It has a mild climate, known as a "perpetual Spring".
Sir Silas Atopare was a Papua New Guinean politician who served as the seventh governor-general of Papua New Guinea from November 1997 until November 2003.
Bruce M. Beehler is an ornithologist and research associate of the Bird Division of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Prior to this appointment, Beehler worked for Conservation International, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Counterpart International, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Kokopo is the capital of East New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea. It is administered under Kokopo/Vunamami Urban LLG. The capital was moved from Rabaul in 1994 when the volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan erupted. As a result, the population of the town increased more than sixfold from 3,150 in 1990 to 20,262 in 2000.
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. The peninsula is dominated by the steep Saruwaged and Finisterre and Cromwell Mountains. The nearest large town is the Morobe provincial capital Lae to the south, while settlements on the north coast include the former German town of Finschhafen, the district capital of Wasu, Malalamai and Saidor with its World War II era Saidor Airport.
Dr Dawn W. Frith is an English born Australian citizen and ornithologist. She is now a self-employed private, independent, zoological researcher, consultant, natural history author, and publisher.
Papua New Guinea together with the West Papua region of Indonesia make up a major tropical wilderness area that still contains 5% of the original and untouched tropical high-biodiversity terrestrial ecosystems. PNG in itself contains over 5% of the world's biodiversity in less than 1% of the world's total land area. The flora of New Guinea is unique because it has two sources of origin; the Gondwana flora from the south and flora with Asian origin from the west. As a result, New Guinea shares major family and genera with Australia and the East Asia, but is rich in local endemic species. The endemicity is a result of mountainous isolation, topographic and soil habitat heterogeneity, high forest disturbance rates and abundant aseasonal rainfall year round. PNG boasts some 15–21,000 higher plants, 3,000 species of orchids, 800 species of coral, 600 species of fish, 250 species of mammals and 760 species of birds and 8 species of tree-kangaroos out of which 84 genera of animals are endemic. Ecosystems range from lowland forests to montane forests, alpine flora down to coastal areas which contains some of the most extensive pristine mangrove areas in the world. Much of this biodiversity has remained intact for thousands of years because the ruggedness of the terrain made the interior lands inaccessible; furthermore low population density and restrictions on the effectiveness of traditional tools, ensured that these biodiversity was never overexploited.
The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, is a long chain of mountain ranges on the island of New Guinea, including the island's tallest peak, Puncak Jaya, Indonesia, 16,024 ft (4,884 m), the highest mountain in Oceania. The range is home to many intermountain river valleys, many of which support thriving agricultural communities. The highlands run generally east-west the length of the island, which is divided politically between Indonesia in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east.
The Wasur National Park forms part of the largest wetland in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia and has been one of the least disturbed by human activity. The high value of its biodiversity has led to the park being dubbed the "Serengeti of Papua". The vast open wetland, in particular Rawa Biru Lake, attracts a very rich fauna.
The Central Range montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the Central Range of the New Guinea Highlands, which extends along the spine of the island. The montane rain forests of the ecoregion are distinct from the surrounding lowland forests, and are home to many endemic plants and animals.
The Central Range sub-alpine grasslands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the highest-elevation portions of the New Guinea Highlands, which extend along the spine of the island. The high elevations support rare tropical sub-alpine and alpine habitats, including many endemic plants and animals.
The Huon Peninsula montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the mountains of northeastern New Guinea's Huon Peninsula.
The Obô Natural Park of São Tomé is a natural park of São Tomé and Príncipe, covering 195 km2 (75 sq mi) of the island of São Tomé. It was established in 2006, but yet to be assigned an IUCN protected area category. It covers parts of the districts of Caué, Lemba, Lobata and Mé-Zóchi.
Yolarnie Amepou is a zoologist and conservationist from Papua New Guinea. She is known for her work to protect the Papuan softshell turtle in Kikori. In 2017 she was a Youth Champion for the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. She was also received a Pride of Papua New Guinea Award for Environment in 2015.
Betty Lovai, from Papua New Guinea (PNG), is a professor and the executive dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG).
Anne Dickson-Waiko (1950–2018) was an academic from Papua New Guinea (PNG) who taught history and pioneered the teaching of gender studies in the country.
Julienne Kaman, from Papua New Guinea (PNG), is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Goroka in PNG's Highlands Region.
Pamela Toliman is a medical researcher from Papua New Guinea (PNG) who has researched areas such as sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer and COVID-19.
Sir Alkan Tololo was the director of Papua New Guinea's education department and the first Papua New Guinean to be chancellor of both the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech). He also became chancellor of Vudal University, as well as holding diplomatic posts in Australia and Malaysia.