Weeds Threaten the Mighty Sepik River

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

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8/16/99

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

Following is a good general overview of environmental issues facing

the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. Contact World Wide Fund for

Nature's South Pacific program at wwfspp@is.com.fj for the full report

that is encapsulated here.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Weeds threaten mighty Sepik

Source: The National

Date: August 16, 1999

AUCKLAND: One of the world's few great river systems to remain in a

near pristine state, Papua New Guinea's Sepik River, is under threat

from introduced weeds, according to a new report.

"The Sepik River: A Natural History" was published last week by the

South Pacific program of the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature.

The report calls the Sepik, with more than 1,500 lakes and dozens of

major tributaries and landforms, one of the world's most significant

river systems.

Its catchment extends for more than 77,700 square kilometres and is

navigable for about 500km from its mouth on the northern coast.

Biologically, it is among the most diverse and least described

ecosystems on earth.

"There are no large mining projects, no industrial plants and no large

timber extraction projects operating within the region and, compared

to other areas of New Guinea, much of the area has a low rate of

population growth," it said.

"The Sepik has yet to suffer the blows that accompany rapid

development."

However, water weeds, mostly from South America, are one of its

biggest threats.

"Aquatic weeds in the Sepik River system deserve special attention

because of the serious effects they have had on the people and ecology

of the region, as well as their potential to cause similar

consequences in the future," the report warned.

Salvinia molesta, a weed capable of doubling its size every two days,

was introduced by a missionary who threw the contents of a fish tank

into the river.

By August 1977, 32 square kilometres of the river were covered with

Salvinia. By 1979 it had spread to 79 square kilometres.

A beetle introduced to combat the pest had spectacular results but it

did not completely eradicate it and the WWF said the weed will now

always be a component of the river.

Water hyacinth, a beautiful blue flowering plant from South America

notorious for its ability to clog up waterways, is now under control,

thanks to a weevil.

But a species known as the "Giant Sensitive Plant" is encroaching near

the Sepik and poses a major threat as there are no known means of

control.

"Weeds pose some of the most serious threats to the environment and

human inhabitants in the Sepik catchment. Several species that are

already in PNG have the potential to invade large areas of the Sepik

flood plains where their effect would be catastrophic," the report

said.

"The prevention of new weeds entering the Sepik must be of high

priority."

A whole host of mammals and birds face a growing threat.

"The recent introduction of arboreal primates into Irian Jaya should

be regarded as an extremely serious threat to the ecology of the

entire island. Already there are reports of local extinction of some

Bird of Paradise species as a result of primate predation of eggs," it

said.

Various species of tree kangaroo are under threat, WWF said, and

Australian-introduced water buffalo, which cause massive damage to

wetlands, should be eradicated.

Mining in the spectacularly beautiful region is currently on a small

scale, but is unlikely to stay that way.

"The mining of economically important minerals in the Sepik catchment

is likely to be a major issue in the next decade in relation to

development opportunities for local communities and the environmental

impact," WWF said.

One of the tributaries, the Frieda River, is targeted already by the

American firm Cyprus Amax which is planning a copper and gold mine

with a 2002 start-up date.

"If this mine is operated in the same way as all the other large

mining projects, it probably will have major impacts on the region,"

the report warned. - AFP

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