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Results of the Second PMA3 Biodiversity Monitoring Survey of the PNG LNG Upstream Project Area, 10–31 May 2017

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Results of the second PMA3 Biodiversity Monitoring Survey of the PNG LNG Upstream Project Area, 10–31 May 2017 Edited by Stephen J. Richards ISBN: 978-0-6484933-2-7 Suggested citation: Richards, S.J. (Editor) 2019. Results of the second PMA3 Biodiversity Monitoring Survey of the PNG LNG Upstream Project Area, 10–31 May 2017. ExxonMobil PNG Limited. Port Moresby. © 2019 ExxonMobil PNG Limited Cover image: The Rainbow Treefrog (Litoria iris) is a conspicuous member of the frog fauna on Hidges Ridge where adults glue their eggs to leaves overhanging forest pools and roadside ditches. Back cover image: Shovel-billed Kookaburra (Clytoceyx rex). PNG LNG is operated by a subsidiary of ExxonMobil in co-venture with: Results of the second PMA3 Biodiversity Monitoring Survey of the PNG LNG Upstream Project Area, 10–31 May 2017 Stephen J. Richards (Editor) A Report to ExxonMobil PNG Limited from the 2017 PMA3 Biodiversity Monitoring Program This report is dedicated to the memory of our friend and colleague Dr Ken Aplin, who passed away in January 2019. Ken was a key member of the PMA3 biodiversity monitoring team, a mentor to aspiring Papua New Guinean mammalogists, and a valued colleague and friend. His interests and expertise spanned many fields, and the results of Ken’s research in New Guinea over nearly four decades will be an enduring legacy. He will be sorely missed. Table of Contents Participants ................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................... 1 Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................2 Glossary of technical terms. 2 Report Summary .............................................................................................3 Chapter 1. Butterflies Pagi S. Toko ....................................................................................................17 Chapter 2. Frogs Stephen J. Richards, Kyle N. Armstrong and Chris Dahl ............................................................. 33 Chapter 3. Camera trap monitoring of terrestrial mammals and birds Iain A. Woxvold and Leo Legra ................................................................................... 63 Chapter 4. Small non-volant mammals (Rodents) Kyle N. Armstrong, Enock Kale and Pita Amick .................................................................... 121 Chapter 5. Bats Kyle N. Armstrong, Pita Amick and Enock Kale ....................................................................153 Participants Pita Amick (Mammals) Leo Legra (Camera trapping) New Guinea Binatang Research Centre New Guinea Binatang Research Centre P. O. Box 604, Madang P. O. Box 604, Madang Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Kyle N. Armstrong (Mammals) Stephen Richards (Team leader, Frogs) Australian Centre for Evolutionary Research Associate, Department of Herpetology Biology and Biodiversity South Australian Museum The University of Adelaide North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000 South Australia; and Australia Specialised Zoological Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Pagi Toko (Butterflies) Chris Dahl (Frogs) New Guinea Binatang Research Centre New Guinea Binatang Research Centre P. O. Box 604, Madang P. O. Box 604, Madang Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Iain Woxvold (Camera Trapping) Enock Kale (Mammals) Museum Victoria Sciences Department Ecomate Management GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Port Moresby VIC 3001 Australia Papua New Guinea Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Acknowledgements Successful completion of the Phase 2 PMA3 biodiversity monitoring survey relied on the considerable efforts of an excellent support team from ExxonMobil. We are extremely grateful to Jane Mogina, Anita Mosby and Rebekah Ilave for their organisational skills and ongoing support during the survey, and to our drivers who transported the team to and from site at all hours of the day and night. At Hides we are also extremely grateful to Ken Rhyason & Ken Musante (PICs), HGCP Security, our CA Officers John Handale and Simon Kelip, Rebekah Lovi and Sharon Lauatu from Environment, and Mathilda Haguai and Luana Koniel from HGCP Admin. At Moro we were greatly assisted by George Shaw and Patrick Blackmon (PICs), Simon Mawa (Logistics) and Toby Gleeson (SSC) and we are also grateful to Thomas Samo and Douglas Simala (CA), and to Margaret Pehara and Simah Epi from Admin who greatly smoothed the course of our work. 1 Acronyms and Abbreviations asl Above sea level BAA Biodiversity Assessment Area CEPA Conservation and Environment Protection Authority CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora DD Data Deficient (IUCN threat category) EIS Environmental Impact Statement EN Endangered (IUCN threat category) GLMM Generalised Linear Mixed Model – a statistical test GPS Global Positioning System IFC International Finance Corporation IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature km Kilometers LC Least Concern (IUCN threat category) LNG Liquefied Natural Gas m meters mm millimeters NT Near Threatened (IUCN threat category) pers. obs. Abbrev. ‘personal observation’ PNG Papua New Guinea Project PNG LNG Project RAI Relative abundance index ROW The pipeline right of way including associated access roads sp. Abbrev. ‘species’ (singular) spp. Abbrev. ‘species’ (plural) WMA Wildlife Management Area Glossary of Technical Terms Central cordillera Refers to the central mountainous spine of New Guinea that runs from the eastern edge of the Vogelkop Peninsula in Indonesian New Guinea to the eastern tip of mainland PNG. Community structure The taxonomic composition of a community; species assemblage. Conservation listed Includes: (1) species listed under the IUCN Red List as threatened (Critically Endangered, species Endangered or Vulnerable), Near Threatened or Data Deficient; (2) species listed as Protected under the PNG Fauna (Protection and Control) Act 1966; (3) species listed under CITES Appendix I or II. Diversity In its broadest sense the concept of biological diversity can refer to multiple organizational levels including (but not limited to) genes, variants and subspecies, species, and ecosystems. In this report the term ‘diversity’ is restricted to the meaning ‘numbers of species’ (the most common definition) except where other forms of diversity are also being discussed, when the specific term ‘Species Richness’ is used. Endemic Belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place. New species A species new to science, discovered for the first time during the PMA3 surveys Protected Species listed as Protected under the Papua New Guinea Fauna (Protection and Control) Act 1966. Restricted range Species which have a total historical breeding range of less than 50,000 km2. Taxa Plural of taxon; a systematic division (e.g. more than one species, genera, etc.). Taxonomic Taxonomy is the science of identifying, naming and classifying living organisms. Undescribed species A species that has not yet been formally named. It may be a new species or it may be known previously from other locations. 2 Report Summary Montane forest canopy at Hides Ridge Background and aims The Upstream Project Area of the Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas (PNG LNG) Project supports considerable biodiversity values. These were summarised in ExxonMobil PNG Limited’s (EMPNG) Biodiversity Strategy as (i) extensive intact forest, (ii) high floristic diversity, (iii) high faunal diversity, (iv) endemic species, (v) unique assemblages of species, (vi) species of conservation concern, and (vii) biodiversity of importance to local communities for resource use and cultural and spiritual purposes. To evaluate the success of its commitment to safeguarding these biodiversity values, and to determine whether the Project is successfully meeting the four major objectives of the Biodiversity Strategy – Maintain the intactness of the Upstream area as a whole; Conserve the priority ecosystems; Protect focal habitats; and Account for residual impacts (EMPNG PNG LNG Biodiversity Strategy; available online) – EMPNG has developed a series of four Programmed Monitoring Activities (PMAs). One of these, Programmed Monitoring Activity 3 (PMA3), provides high-quality information on trends in species diversity and abundance in the Upstream area of the PNG LNG Project in order to detect changes that may be associated with the development of Project infrastructure. PMA3 conducts rapid biodiversity surveys to collect quantitative, repeatable data on species presence, relative abundance and trends in species diversity in two Biodiversity Assessment Areas (BAAs) in areas affected by the PNG LNG Project: the first at Hides Ridge (BAA 1), and the second on the Agogo Range near Moro (BAA 2). The first PMA3 biodiversity survey program was conducted during June–July 2015 and the results were presented to EMPNG in 2016 and subsequently published in a public document (Richards 2017). That report provided baseline data on biodiversity in the two BAAs against which future monitoring surveys could be compared, found limited evidence for impacts of the linear infrastructure corridors on a suite of flora and fauna groups, and presented a series of recommendations for improving the PMA3 monitoring program to ensure that it best supports EMPNG’s goal to safeguard
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