No. 30 Lands of the Aitape–Ambunti Area, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The Aitape–Ambunti survey covered an area of ~12,050 km² which is much of the eastern half of Aitape–Lumi District in present-day Sandaun Province and the northwest part of East Sepik Province, with altitude ranging from sea level to 1,860 m in three physiographic regions.

The report implements some major developments in methods of landscape classification and description. The 65 land systems range from 3 km² to 725 km² in six groups and 16 subgroups but with no individual identification and description of land units. A synoptic description is provided for landform, streams and drainage, vegetation, climate/water balance zone, lithology, soils, population and land use, transitions to other systems, forest resources, agricultural land capability, and engineering materials. Detailed descriptions and assessments are provided for each land system in an appendix.

In another innovation, the report provides mapped and captioned aerial photo pairs to illustrate each land system.

Individual disciplinary chapters describe:

1. Climate — principal features and controls; general climatic characteristics; and water balance for plant growth
2. Soils — soil classification and distribution of seven orders and 16 included ‘great groups’; and factors in soil formation
3. Vegetation and Ecology — characteristics of nine major types and their sub-types; and the ecological influence of rainfall, altitude, drainage and inundation
4. Population and Land Use — population characteristics including demographics, growth, employment and social/cultural groups; subsistence agriculture and cash cropping, and land use intensity related to capability
5. Forest Resources — classification and productivity of 22 forest types; and access categories in relation to land systems
6. Land Use Capability — classification and distribution of 18 land use capability groups; and information on engineering, tourism and hunting aspects of land use
7. Four appendices explain terms and procedures and give further detail for land systems and land use.

Map 1 — Land Systems of the Aitape–Ambunti area, Papua New Guinea by HA Haantjens and PC Heyligers. Scale 1:250,000. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 30, 1972.

Map 2 — Vegetation of the Aitape–Ambunti area, Papua New Guinea by PC Heyligers. Scale 1:250,000. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 30, 1972.

Map 3 — Forest Resources, Land Use Intensity, Terrain Access Categories and Associations of Great Soil Groups of the Aitape–Ambunti area, Papua New Guinea. Three maps on sheet, each scale 1:500,000: Forest Resources by JC Saunders and Land Use Intensity by RH Fagan and JR McAlpine; Terrain Access Categories by JC Saunders; Associations of Great Soil Groups by HA Haantjens. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 30, 1972.

Map 4 — Land Altitude, Sea Depth, Drainage Divisions, Toponomy, Transport, Administration, Population Distribution and Agricultural Land Use Capability of the Aitape–Ambunti area, Papua New Guinea. Four maps on sheet, each scale 1:500,000: Land Altitude and Sea Depth by HA Haantjens; Drainage Divisions by HA Haantjens; Toponomy, Transport, Administration, Population Distribution by JR McAlpine; Agricultural Land Use Capability by HA Haantjens. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 30, 1972.

Editor's Note: The population of about 94,500 at the time of the survey exceeds 155,000 in 2011,