|
 2004
marks the ninth year of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program
in Papua New Guinea. In 1999, the Tree Kangaroo SSP (Species
Survival Program) selected the TKCP as its long-term field conservation
program for at least the next five years. The primary goal of
the TKCP is to promote the conservation of tree kangaroos and
their rainforest habitat in Papua New Guinea in ways that are
consistent with the subsistence and cultural needs of the local
people.
To achieve this goal the TKCP is working to:
- determine and monitor the population status
of tree kangaroos and gain natural history information;
- establish a Wildlife Management Area in this
critical habitat;
- educate the local people of Papua New Guinea
about conservation issues and develop sustainable natural resource
management plans;
- enhance the scientific literacy of students
in Papua New Guinea and the U.S. using the tree kangaroo and
its rainforest habitat as a focus for environmental education;
- contribute to the preservation of tree kangaroos
and their threatened habitat;
- invest in training new leaders in the field
of conservation biology from the local population.
TKCP focuses on the Matschie's tree kangaroo endemic to the
Huon Peninsula in northeast Papua New Guinea. This area is biologically
unique, ranging from coral reefs to montane rainforests to sub-alpine
grasslands. Species diversity and endemism are high so establishing
protected areas is critical to preventing extinctions. The Matschie's
tree kangaroo is a charismatic species that needs protection
and can draw attention to this biologically diverse habitat.
To date over 75,000 acres of land has been pledged by local land
owners to establish a Wildlife Management Area. The TKCP's goal
is to double the size of this protected area.
Educational efforts were expanded in 2001 with the addition
of an art exchange program between students in Papua New Guinea
and the US. The conservation outreach program will continue
to grow as more village schools are included. In the last six
years a number of results have been achieved through TKCP studies:
- Tree kangaroos can live in high densities.
Distance sampling surveys estimate one animal per hectare, indicating
that tree kangaroo densities can be high in favorable, undisturbed
habitat.
- Tree kangaroos have been eliminated in some
areas due to hunting.
- Dietary ecology studies have identified over
90 species of plants consumed by tree kangaroos.
- A biological survey of the western and central
portions of the Huon Peninsula began in October 2001. Initial
results have not been completely analyzed, but it is likely
that two new frog species and possibly a new rodent subspecies
have been discovered so far.
- A vegetation map is in progress as a result
of a survey conducted through an elevation range of 1200-2900
meters including information on location, vegetation, slope
and other land features.
The Minnesota Zoo's Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program has awarded
the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project $2,500 in each of the
last three years (2002-2004) for its efforts to establish a wildlife
management area in Papua New Guinea and its efforts to provide
for the conservation of tree kangaroos and their habitat. Staff
champion for this project is Christine McKnight, Tropics Zookeeper.
|