Discovering Papua New Guinea's Mountain Mammals
Channel: Deb Verhoeven
Date: 2013-05-06

We are seeking public support for our research into Papua New Guinea's rare mammals. You can support this project at http://pozible.com/tenkile 

Papua New Guinea and its mountains are home to tremendous biological diversity, much of which is found nowhere else on earth. It is of enormous concern that many of this region's species are under severe threat. There are also likely to other species which are unknown to science (there are new species being discovered in the region regularly) and these are also under threat. Our project, a partnership between Deakin University and The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) (http://www.tenkile.com), will undertake the first comprehensive camera trapping study for animals up the spectacular and remote Torricelli Mountain range (spanning ~500m to 1600m). Our study will provide crucial information about the distribution and abundance of many species, including two species of global conservation concern, the iconic and critically endangered mammals, the Tenkile or Scott's Tree Kangaroo and Weimang or Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo. Our project will establish the key areas of habitat for these tree kangaroos and other species, thereby helping to ensure their long-term survival.

The major outcome of our study will be new information on the locations of animals within Papua New Guinea's Torricelli Mountains. In particular, we will identify which species have restricted distributions and therefore may be most vulnerable to human-caused threats such as habitat loss and modification (logging and mining), and climate change. Importantly, by conducting this study, we will be able to collect valuable location and ecological information on the Tenkile and Weimang tree kangaroos. Through our work we aim to improve international awareness of Papua New Guinea's unique fauna and promote the need for further support of their conservation.