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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 33(5)

Freshwater turtles of the TransFly region of Papua New Guinea – notes on diversity, distribution, reproduction, harvest and trade

Arthur Georges A C , Fiorenzo Guarino A and Biatus Bito B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2616, Australia.

B World Wide Fund for Nature, TransFly Project, PO Box 199, Daru, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

C Corresponding author. Email: georges@aerg.canberra.edu.au

Wildlife Research 33(5) 373-384 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR05087
Submitted: 29 September 2005  Accepted: 4 May 2006   Published: 14 August 2006

Abstract

The Chelidae is a family of side-necked turtles restricted in distribution to South America and Australasia. While their biology in Australia is reasonably well known, species in New Guinea are very poorly known despite high diversity, especially in the southern lowlands. In this paper, we report on the diversity, distribution, habitat and reproductive biology of the freshwater turtles of the TransFly region of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, with special emphasis on reproduction of Emydura subglobosa, Elseya branderhorsti and Elseya novaeguineae. Seven species were captured, with reliable records of an eighth. A key to the freshwater turtles of the TransFly region is provided. Harvest methods, consumption, and trade in turtles by the TransFly communities are documented. There is mounting pressure to take advantage of revenue opportunities afforded by the Asian turtle trade, but this is impeded by lack of transport infrastructure. There is also insufficient demographic information on any New Guinean turtle species to make a reasoned judgment on the level of harvest that would be sustainable. Nor is there sufficient information on captive rearing for most species, and where it is available it is not accessible by local villagers. These knowledge gaps need to be addressed and factored into a management plan that is implemented before local communities can capitalise on the commercial opportunities provided by the turtle fauna without risking collapse of the resource and the implications for their concurrent subsistence economy that would follow.


Acknowledgments

We thank the many people who assisted us in the field, but especially Jerrimiah Naipu, Moimoa K. Bariga, William Bariga, Anthony Mayapa, Dugau Barriga, Gambi Moiu and Magen Simita for their exceptional efforts and companionship. We are grateful to the villages of Serki, Daraia and Keru for their warm and elaborate welcomes, and to all the villages we visited for their efforts in securing and holding turtles for us. The Papua New Guinea Department of Environment and Conservation assisted us in gaining permission to undertake this research. Our study would not have been possible without the contacts and exceptional goodwill established by the World Wide Fund for Nature in the areas we visited. We are indebted to Moimoa K. Bariga, chair of the Suki/Aramba Wildlife Management Committee and committee members for securing us access to land. Naipu Trading Pty Ltd and Fesua Trading Ltd provided us with boats and vehicles. Garrick Hitchcock provided advice on correct spelling of language names.


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