Carettochelys Insculpta) in the KIKORI REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
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NESTING ECOLOGY, HARVEST AND CONSERVATION OF THE PIG-NOSED TURTLE (Carettochelys insculpta) IN THE KIKORI REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA by CARLA CAMILO EISEMBERG DE ALVARENGA B.Sc. (Federal University of Minas Gerais – UFMG) (2004) M.Sc. (National Institute for Amazon Research) (2006) Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra Australia A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Canberra. October 2010 Certificate of Authorship of Thesis Except where clearly acknowledged in footnotes, quotations and the bibliography, I certify that I am the sole author of the thesis submitted today, entitled Nesting ecology, harvest and conservation of the Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) in the Kikori region, Papua New Guinea I further certify that to the best of my knowledge the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. The material in the thesis has not been the basis of an award of any other degree or diploma.The thesis complies with University requirements for a thesis as set out in Gold Book Part 7: Examination of Higher Degree by Research Theses Policy, Schedule Two (S2). …………………………………………… Signature of Candidate .......................................................................... Signature of chair of the supervisory panel ………15-Mar-11…………………….. Date Copyright This thesis (© by Carla C. Eisemberg, 2010) may be freely copied or distributed for private and/or commercial use and study. However, no part of this thesis or the information herein may be included in a publication or referred to in a publication without the written consent of Carla C. Eisemberg. Any reference to this work must be fully acknowledged ii Acknowledgments It has been an interesting journey, from the Amazon to Australia and further to Papua New Guinea and what I learned in the last four years both academically and personally was priceless. Many people have contributed to my PhD experience and are deserving of my acknowledgements. I would firstly like to thank my family (Júlio, Maria Helena, Tiago and Igor), for their unconditional support on my adventures in the other side of the planet and my grandparents for passing from one generation to the other their belief that the richest inheritance you can leave to your children is education. You couldn‟t be more right. Many thanks to Fernando Perini, who always believed, supported and encouraged me to pursue my dreams and also made the beautiful drawings that illustrate this thesis. Equally deserving of thanks is my primary supervisor Arthur Georges, who provided me with the opportunity to travel to these wonderful countries to work with such an interesting subject. His support and guidance also enabled me to pursue and develop the ideas that are presented in this thesis. Ben Yaru also provided supervision and I am grateful for his perspectives and insights about Papua New Guinea wildlife conservation. An especial thanks to Mark Rose, whose data about the pig-nosed turtle in the Kikori from the early 80‟s transformed my three years work into a long-term comparison. His generosity will be an example to follow. I would like to thank everyone in the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE). Thanks to Anna MacDonald, David Wong, Kerrie Aust, Deborah Bower and Kate Hodges, who provided valuable insights for my chapters and fought bravely against my grammar monstrosities. Thanks to the staff and PhD students at the IAE for friendship and support, including Niccy Aitken, Alex Quinn, Nadav Pezaro, Anett Richter, Michael Jensen, Marion Hoehn, Wendy Diamond, Rachel Walsh, Christina Castellano, Stephen Sarre, Nancy Fitzsimons, Will Osborne, Larissa Schneider, Stewart Pittard, Matthew Young, Maria Boyle, Claudia Yoshida, Anelise Hahn, Sarah Vargas, Erika Alacs, Lisa Schwanz, Xiuwen Zhang, Max Powell, Sam Walker, Jaqui Richardson, Veronika Vysna, Tara Goodsell and Vicky Smith. I would like also to thank Jennie Robens and Anita Clarke. Local and remote support and friendship was indispensable during this journey. Thank you to all my friends especially Fabi, Mari, Maki, Marilda, André, Bruno, Flávia, Paulinha, Leo, Mela, Des, Suzana, Prabha and Epere. iii Funding was generously provided by Oilsearch, the University of Canberra and the Australian Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship. I would like to acknowledge the indispensible logistical support of WWF, CDI (Community Development Initiative), NRI (Papua New Guinea National Research Institute) and Oilsearch. Thanks to Jack Kaiwari, Mathew Wa'abiya, Michael Boru, Bagi Oni, Steven Dekene, Andrew Nema, Arnold Moi, Rober Kiapranis, Morgan Veao, Sarah Ekali, Ken Webb, Lidia Kaia, Dennis Badi, Felix Kinginapi, Paul Fearman, Cathy Alex, Veronika Kenisi and many others. My sincere gratitude also to James Robins (NRI), Augustine Mudkaji and Lance Hill (UPNG). Thank you to all Kopi camp workers and Kikori people who did their best to make my time in Papua New Guinea a pleasant experience. My field work involved visiting many local communities. We were always greeted warmly, granted access to sites and offered assistance. Thank you to all the traditional land owners that granted us permission to visit your lands. Thank you to my Watemu Warriors, Les Bauer, Ricardo França Silva and Steve Reynolds who were my volunteer field assistants. I couldn‟t have done the field work that culminated in this thesis without you. Local volunteers collected indispensable data presented in this thesis. Thanks to Ruth Boru, Celine Oni, Albert Waime, Alex (Veraibari), Atai Menemea, Aubai Aubomia, Baiara Eraro, Brandy Iavi, Brian Jimmy, Cain Keiwake, Eddie Samai, Emake Karea, Frank John, Gigove Joe, Imei Beiau, Jacob Simon, Jimmy John, Justin Jimmy, Kaibiri Euu, Kairi Arono, Kaki Kupere, Kiti Sumila, Marian Motawa, Maroua Kava, Monike Mapai, Moris Koveri, Moses Kemuru, Okei (Dopima), Patrick Ito, Petrick Kemuru, Rex Kiti, Rex Paimiri, Robim Kemuru, Roddie Bauno, Rodim Amua, Roni Warem, Sandra Thomas, Sara Masena, Sigaro Bauno, Sox Michael, Staley Morris, Taibu Nadai. Many thanks to the Kikori, Ogomabu and Kopi teachers, who helped with the development of the environment educational activities and the students from the Piku-project Boro Kaumi, Jerry Kera, Delilah Peter, Elma John, Susan Kokou, Jonah Kupere, Hebbie Jeffery and Olivia Peter. Finally, I would like to thank everybody who contributed to the successful realisation of this thesis, as well as expressing my apology that I could not mention personally each of you one by one. Thank you, tak, danke, obrigada, tenkyu tru, tanikiu bada herea. This thesis is dedicated to the Kikori children. Ene kamau eke pilo tamute (my bye under your pillow). iv Table of contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. General Introduction ...................................................................................... 5 The study species – Carettochelys insculpta ........................................................................ 10 Thesis aims and structure ..................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2. Coastal Nesting and Life History Attributes .............................................. 14 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 15 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 16 Material and Methods ........................................................................................................... 18 Results .................................................................................................................................. 25 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 3. A Coastal-riverine Nesting Dichotomy: Choice and Tradeoffs ............... 41 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 42 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 43 Material and Methods ........................................................................................................... 46 Results .................................................................................................................................. 51 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 60 Chapter 4. Decline of Carettochelys insculpta and Challenges for Conservation ....... 70 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 70 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 70 Material and methods ........................................................................................................... 72 Results .................................................................................................................................. 75 Discussion ...........................................................................................................................