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Ms. Elizabeth Kaidong and members of the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) and the National Forest Inventory (NFI) comb through data using the Open Foris platform at the NFI Lab in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

With just one click, Rabbie is able to verify whether a deforested patch of land is the result of commercial logging or agriculture, quantify the amount of tree cover loss, and identify which of the 12 vegetation types and plantations it falls under. All from the comfort of his office chair.

While it sounds like magic, it’s science. Over the past decade, cutting-edge technology and innovation have transformed countries’ abilities to monitor, report and manage their forests - resulting in better forest protection, restoration and sustainable land use.

“In Papua New Guinea, it is very difficult to monitor our forests because there are lots of inaccessible remote areas without road access. And the size of our forests is enormous, so it is a huge undertaking. Satellite technology helps us to overcome this,” said Rabbie Inzing Lalo, Manager of Forest Acquisition at the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA).

The Island of New Guinea contains the world’s third largest rainforest after the Amazon and Congo Basin. Papua New Guinea (PNG) comprises the island’s eastern portion and West Papua, which is part of Indonesia, comprises its western portion. As the major lungs of our planet, it provides a huge carbon sink.

“When you understand that PNG’s rainforests house over 7% of world's biodiversity, you understand why working in this location is of paramount importance not just for PNG, but for the whole world,” said European Union Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Jacques Fradin. 

With funding of 54.7 million Euros, the recently-launched European Union funded Forestry-Climate Change-Biodiversity Nexus (EU-FCCB) Support Programme for PNG is the EU's most ambitious forest-related programs anywhere in the world.

 

A deep river flows through a valley in the Western Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. The province is home to dense rainforests, but also boasts a higher population density than surrounding provinces. This has led to a focus on sustainable forest use in the province in recent years.

Measuring the Value of Forests

Accurate data on forest and carbon emissions are essential as PNG realizes its ambitions for carbon neutrality by 2050 under its policy Vision 2050. But this data can be difficult to obtain. To bridge this gap, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting 50 countries – including PNG – to establish National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS).

NFMS play an essential role in monitoring forest activities and for data provision in the process of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV). NFMS are developed with data obtained through both remote-sensing and field-based assessments.

“It’s difficult to measure our forests and track progress on our national commitments. Previously, we didn’t have the technical capability to do it ourselves,” said Hon. Salio Waipo, Minister for Forests, Papua New Guinea. “That’s why as a government we’ve been working closely with FAO. We are a forest nation, so we need to know the value in our forests.”

PNG’s forests are ecological treasures housing more than 20,000 species of vascular plants, 191 species of mammal, 750 bird species, 300 species of reptile and 198 species of amphibian. Yet despite the treasures they store, PNG forests are poorly known scientifically.

To remedy this, PNG inaugurated its first-ever National Forestry Inventory (NFI) in 2016. The NFI is “multi-purpose” because it collects information not only on timber volume, but also on biodiversity including non-tree flora and fauna, non-timber forest products, carbon stocks, and soil characteristics.

“Forestry is an economic resource for this country,” said John Moroso, Managing Director, PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA). “The NFI project is very important because we want to know the total amount of forest resources we have in our country. Until we know the actual number of resources available, we can't do any proper planning. It would be all over the place and ad-hoc. We will use the inventory data to do a comprehensive review of our policies and Forestry Act.” 

 

Two West Papuan Lorikeets pictured near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The small pacific island nation houses 7% of the world’s biodiversity in it’s rich tropical rainforests.

Open-Source Digital Tools

FAO has been supporting countries, including PNG, in the development of "Open Foris Collect Earth", a GIS point sampling tool. PNG was one of the first countries to conduct its national forest and land use change assessment using Collect Earth.

PNG conducted its first assessment in 2014 and updated it three times since. The outcomes were published in peer-reviewed journals, national and international reports including the First and Second Forest Reference Level (2017 & 2023) and the First and Second Biennial Update Report (2019 & 2022) to the UNFCCC. PNG’s assessment process significantly contributed to the improvement of Collect Earth, which has become widely used for UNFCCC reporting.

“We at FAO are extremely proud that PNG has used open-source digital tools developed under the Open Foris initiative. Open Foris from FAO’s Forestry Division has helped over 200,000 people in 196 countries to improve their forest data. Most significantly, 90% of all forest submissions to the UNFCCC have used Open Foris enabling the recognition of the critical importance of forests, and their significant contribution to climate change mitigation,” said Dr. Julian Fox, Team Leader, Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms, FAO.

Technology has driven significant progress in reporting for forest-based climate action with 13.7 billion tCO2 emission reductions reported to UNFCCC between 2006-2021.

Among FAO’s priorities is supporting partner countries to build national forest monitoring web-based geo-portal to increase data transparency for national and international reporting purposes. PNG’s geo-portal provides spatial information on forests, environment (conservation, biodiversity, etc), agriculture, mining, soil, water resources, infrastructure (namely land use), value chains, and much more.

“PNG has one of the most advanced geo-portals in the world (in terms of contents),” said Masamichi Haraguchi, Forest Monitoring Consultant, FAO. “It collates all the geo-spatial datasets into one single platform. Anyone with internet access can view this data, which enhances transparency.” The geo-portal is managed by Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) and the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) with technical support from FAO.

“What stands out in PNG is the strong government ownership of the technology and data. This is essential because if the government is going to make decisions to protect, restore or sustainably restore their forests, they need to produce the data themselves,” said Dr. Fox.

 

Two members of Papua New Guinea Forest Authority’s (PNGFA) National Forest Inventory (NFI) team input data from field measurements in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

The Human Side of Data Collection

Despite the amazing advantages of technology, data doesn’t collect itself. The human-power behind forest data collection remains indispensable.

PNG’s Multipurpose NFI was designed using a two-phased approach. In the first phase, remote-sensing based forest assessment was conducted to stratify the forest in PNG. A thousand clusters of plots in each forest strata were created and located throughout the country. In the second phase, these clusters were verified through field-based assessments.

Since 2017 when the second phase of the NFI commenced, a battalion of dedicated foresters, botanists, ornithologists, entomologists and soil experts have contributed to gathering and uploading raw forest data onto the open source platforms. Thanks to their efforts, a significant amount of forest and land use information is now publicly available and helping to shape better national forest and climate change policies.

What one doesn’t see behind the data is the hard work and passion of the dedicated NFI team. Due to the around-the-clock activity of animals, the team is on-call 24 hours a day. The ornithologists are the first ones on the team to start working because they have to take advantage of the early morning hours when birds are the most active.

Samuel Jepi, an ornithologist on the NFI team, is accustomed to waking up when the sky is still pitch black. “I move with the birds on their time. I get ready at 4:00 a.m. and start recording bird calls by 4:30 a.m.”

PNG is home to all but two of the forty-one Birds of Paradise species. This beautiful bird is a natural treasure, and the country’s national emblem. Their feathers were traditionally used as adornment on ceremonial headdresses worn during ritual dances by local communities.

When Jepi finishes his shift at 7:00 a.m. and returns to base camp, his comrades are just getting ready for their shift - sipping on instant coffee and munching on navy biscuits for breakfast. “I don’t mind waking up early. I feel proud to count the birds for my country.”

Jepi isn’t the only one working under trying conditions. After heavy rainstorms, swollen rivers make for treacherous crossings to the NFI field sites. What was knee-high water just a day ago becomes thigh-high and requires adequate physical strength to tread.

“The biggest challenge we have is bringing our personnel across. It’s tough bringing a large number of people across rugged terrain and thick forest, especially in this kind of weather,” said Madeline Mnaguwean, HR Officer & Administrator, Forest Policy & Planning Directory, PNGFA. “Because of this, we are really grateful for the technology provided by FAO. It cuts down on the amount of time we spend in the bush and reduces our costs. With remote sensing, we can do more in terms of desktop planning.”

 

The National Forest Inventory team stands for a group portrait at the Baiyer worksite in the Western Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. The team includes botanists, ornithologists, entomologists and other experts who comb through PNG’s dense forests to take stock of the rich biodiversity they contain.

Traditional Land Custodians

In addition to challenging field conditions, there is an extra layer of complexity for the NFI. About 97% of land in PNG is under customary tenure, meaning that the forests belong to the people. Given this, the NFI team needs to spend considerable time meeting with the local landowners to get prior and free consent for the assessment teams to access their forests.

While Indigenous Peoples comprise just five percent of the world’s population, they steward 25% of the Earth’s land, and are custodians of most of the world’s intact forests. PNG’s forest cover stands at 78%, one of the world’s highest. Its remote rainforests have allowed many of the indigenous tribes to develop in isolation. The nation is home to 10 million people with over 800 distinctive languages and a myriad of unique cultures and age-old traditions.

“The land in our country has been passed down from generation to generation. The Government only has rights to access the resources. Every Papua New Guinean has the right to their forests. We own the forest and our resources. That’s why we have conserved our forests for so long,” said Margaret Tongo, Manager, Forest Planning & Inventory, PNG.

One of the aims of the NFI is to benefit local communities by ascertaining what’s inside their forests. “Based on our land use assessment, we can help them prepare better land use plans. Often, they’ve never seen a map of their area. We assist them by determining the areas most suitable for agriculture, and which areas to avoid due to risk of landslides and flooding,” said Dr. Abe Hitofumi, FAO’s Chief Technical Advisor for the NFI Project in PNG.

In addition, the NFI project employs local community members as temporary cooks and field guides, which provides economic benefits and allows them to have a direct learning experience in the forestry survey. After all, the local communities know their forests best.

“Indigenous knowledge is very important. In any scientific data collection, you need to go down to the indigenous knowledge first. It paves the way for further research,” said Paul Marai, Project Manager, Forest Products, at the Forest Research Institute (FRI). “I selected the principal landowner of this plot to take me around as my guide. I learned a lot from him.”

Paul was part of the NFI team that conducted a field assessment near Baiyer River Sanctuary in the Western Highlands of PNG this past February. The Highlands are an iconic region in PNG. It is a biodiversity hotspot featuring sweeping scenic views of mountains surrounded by verdant montane forests. However, with one of the highest population densities and lowest forest covers in the country, the biodiversity here is at high risk.

Besta Pulum, a father of three daughters, owns the 745 hectares of forest selected for the project assessment site. Among the medicinal plants he introduced to the NFI team were wild daka, a type of mustard vine, used as an antiseptic for fresh cuts and salat, which is given to pregnant women to avoid blood clots.

“I’m happy knowing I have medicine in my forests. If I cut my trees down, where would I get my medicine? My ancestors looked after these forests and I’m looking after them today for my own children,” said Pulum.

 

FAO staff speak with members of the Pundbe Clan near the Baiyer National Forest Inventory worksite in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Importantly, the FAO and Papua New Guinea Forest Authority work closely with traditional landowners when collecting specimens and data in the field.

New Discoveries Ahead

Like on Besta’s land, undiscovered treasures in PNG’s forests abound.

“I’ve been a seasoned forester for the past 49 years, but I’m always amazed when I go to the forest. I always learn something new,” said Goodwill Amos, Director, Forest Research Institute (FRI). “This is the first time we included a non-timber forest products specialist and a tree climber to carry out seed collection for the upper plants in our NFI team. It will allow us to make more discoveries in the field because we will have more technical capacity.”

Case in point: The tree climber collected a rare orchid specimen the other day from the upper branches of a towering tree.

“I’ve been with PNGFA for 43 years and I’ve not seen this plant before, so I’m thinking that it could be a new species,” said Kipiro Damas, Senior Botanist, PNGFA. He gave the specimen the field name Oberonia sp [species under genus Oberonia]. In PNG, there are about 3,000 species of orchids. Most of them are found in high altitude areas like in the Western Highlands. This particular orchid specimen had flat leaves knitted close together.

All plant specimens collected at NFI sites are preserved in ethanol then brought back to the national herbarium in Lae to go through a lengthy curation process that can take up to three months for identification and verification purposes. The temporary field names are confirmed by cross-checking the existing specimens in the herbarium. If suspected to be a new species, the specimen is sent to Kew Herbarium for additional research.

“In PNG, there are world-class botanists, entomologists and ornithologists with exceptional technical capacity. However, the number of people who have such a capacity is limited considering the importance of the biodiversity and size of the forests in the country, and there have been very limited opportunities for them to conduct assessments and pass on their knowledge to the younger generations,” said Dr. Hitofumi. “The NFI creates a great opportunity for senior scientists to transfer their knowledge to the younger generations.”

On the current NFI team, there are six botanists. “In terms of experienced botanists like me, there’s only one,” Damas laughs. Damas is 65 years old and plans to retire soon, though he is willing to continue on if needed for his country. Damas is an inspiration among his younger colleagues, and has two plant specimens named after him, Szygium kippydamasii and Psychotria damasiana. “I’m training five junior botanists. They’re catching up, as long as I go continuously in the field and help them with species identification.”

“The NFI project is very important for us in PNG, especially for building our botanical understanding,” he added. “We really need NFI to get us to places where we were previously unable to go due to lack of funding. Every botanist dreams to find and identify new species.” 

    

On the left: Mr. Kipiro Damas stands for a portrait with a unique specimen of orchid not previously seen in Papua New Guinea’s forests. The specimen-collected in the Western Highlands Province-will be sent to experts in the nation’s capital of Port Moresby for further analysis to determine whether it is a new species.

On the right: Mr. Goodwill Amos stands for a portrait near the Baiyer National Forest Inventory camp in Papua New Guinea’s Western Highlands province. Speaking on the importance of forest data collection he says “You cannot monitor what you can’t measure” adding that accurate forest data helps to ensure the protection of forests rich with biodiversity.

DONOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The NFI is implemented by PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) with technical assistance from FAO with funding support from International Development Partners, including the European Union, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), The United Kingdom (through the AIM4Forests Programme), and the UN-REDD Programme in partnership with various national and international institutions such as the New Guinea Binatang Research Center, the PNG University of Technology, the University of PNG, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Queensland, Forestry Practices Authority in Tasmania.

Photo credits: @FAO/Cory Wright

Field reporting and story by: Leona Liu, Communications & Knowledge Management Expert, FAO PNG

Related links:

• Visit the International Day of Forests (IDF) website and join us via webcast to learn about the latest advancements in forest management.
• Learn more about Open Foris free open-source solutions for forest and land monitoring.