WHERE WE WORK
Where We Work
Our geographic focus is on the tropical Indo-Pacific region, a vast area that includes Indonesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia – by far the most biologically and culturally diverse area of the planet.
IPCA has recently worked in the Asmat area within and around Lorentz National Park and World Heritage Site in southwestern Papua, Indonesia. We have supported key research in other parts of Papua, most notably in the Jayapura area, as well as in Papua New Guinea. Please click on the Asmat, Macaques, Forest Stewards, or Biodiversity Surveys links for more information. To view maps of the region, click here.
Asmat
IPCA has been working with Asmat leaders through their community organizations since 1999. Our program has already had significant conservation results that include stopping destructive logging and fishing operations.
Macaques
The Long-tailed or Crab-eating Macaque, Macaca fascicularis, was introduced into the Jayapura area of northeastern Papua sometime in the very recent past. Since macaques are not native to the island of New Guinea they pose a significant threat to the plants and animals of the island that evolved in the absence of competition from non-human primates.
Biodiversity Surveys
Botanists estimate that perhaps as many as 20,000 species of plants – between 80-90% of which are found nowhere else on earth – exist in New Guinea , but only a small fraction of these are actually documented. The reality is that the vast majority of species on the planet are still undocumented. Many areas of the Indo-Pacific region have never had any serious biological sampling and are likely to harbor many plants and animals that are yet to be discovered.
Papua Forest Stewards
The Papua Forest Stewards Initiative (PFSI) is an innovative plan to conserve biodiversity by supporting and preserving the traditional knowledge of New Guinea’s most remote societies. PFSI recognizes that the forests of New Guinea are a biocultural phenomenon — the product of thousands of years of interaction between humans and their environment.