The Annotated Ramsar List: Papua New Guinea

The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

PAPUA NEW GUINEA / PAPOUASIE-NOUVELLE-GUINEE / PAPUA NUEVA GUINEA

The Convention on Wetlands came into force for Papua New Guinea on 16 July 1993. Papua New Guinea presently has 2 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 594,924 hectares.

site; date of designation; region, province, state; surface area; coordinates
site; date de désignation; région, province, état; superficie; coordonnées
sitios; fecha de designación; región, provincia, estado; área; coordenadas

Lake Kutubu. 22/09/98; Southern Highlands; 4,924 ha; 06º25’S 143º20’E. Wildlife Management Area. The second largest lake in PNG. A freshwater lake in limestone karst country in PNG’s remote and isolated Southern Highlands at 800m above sea level, the site includes approximately 1,000 hectares of swamp forest. The lake’s extraordinary level of endemicity (10 of the 14 fish species found there are endemic to the lake itself) exceeds that of any other lake in the entire New Guinea-Australian region. The development of oil and gas in the region has increased access with the development of road links and regular flights. The villages around the lake rely principally upon sago subsistence agriculture. Probably the first Ramsar site to be listed in the Wetland Type added to the Ramsar Classification System by Resolution VI.5 (1996) on subterranean karst wetlands. Ramsar site no. 961. Most recent RIS information: 1997.

Tonda Wildlife Management Area. 16/03/93; Western Province; 590,000 ha; 08º45’S 141º23’E. Wildlife Management Area; Shorebird Network Site. Flat, coastal plains subject to seasonal, freshwater flooding. The site, bordering Indonesia, includes tidal river reaches, mangrove areas, grassland, and savannah woodlands. An important wetland for over 250 species of resident and migratory waterbirds and as a refuge during drought. Most of the world population of Numenius minutus stage on the plains during migration. Sixty-three species of fish are supported. About 1,500 subsistence gardeners and hunters live in the area. Visitors come for fishing, birdwatching, and deer or Lates calcarifer hunting. The site is continguous with the Wasur National Park Ramsar site in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Ramsar site no. 591. Most recent RIS information: 1993.