Wanang Conservation Area

Research

Wanang Conservation Area is one of the most active research sites for rainforest ecology in New Guinea and in the tropics at large. It has a 15-years history of studies of plant-insect-vertebrate interactions.

The Swire Research Station includes a 50-ha forest dynamics plot, a member of the Forest Global Earth Observatory network (www.forestgeo.si.edu). The plot monitors 288,000 individual plants from 550 species. The Wanang forest has been also extensively studied for secondary succession of its vegetation, carbon content of the vegetation, as well as the dynamics of fruit production and forest regeneration.

Detailed studies of birds, amphibians and bats are also available. Further, the Wanang forest has been studied for communities of butterflies, moths, beetles, fruit flies, ants, termites, and other insect taxa. Extensive studies of plant-insect food webs included numerous trees and associated insect herbivores, predators and parasitoids.

The forest is also an experimental site used to manipulate forest succession, seed dispersal, and ant and herbivore abundance. The results of these studies have been published in numerous research papers and represent an excellent base-line data for further research.

The Swire station also hosts a team of qualified research technicians specialized in individual plant or animal taxa who also have a superb knowledge of the surrounding forests and are available as research assistants.

They have expert knowledge of local plants, birds, butterflies and many other taxa, and are familiar with many field research protocols (plant plots surveys, insect sampling methods, bird surveys, as well as ecological field experiments and the basics of computer data management).

The Swire station could host PhD students and researchers, including larger groups, for any length of time. A simple laboratory is available including stereomicroscopes, a freezer, and dry boxes for specimen storage.

Wanang team of biological experts (L to R): Dominic Rinan (plants), Jonah Filip (insects), Byron Siki (plants), Mark Mulau (birds) in front of Haus Saiens.

Wanang team of biological experts (L to R): Dominic Rinan (plants), Jonah Filip (insects), Byron Siki (plants), Mark Mulau (birds) in front of Haus Saiens.

Swire Station laboratory in full activity.

Swire Station laboratory in full activity.