New Guinea Forests

"Covering about 65% of the land area of the island (288,000 km2), the forests of New Guinea encompass mountainous and lowland areas of particularly high biodiversity. Some of the world’s major rivers flow through these forests, including the Asmat and Mamberano rivers in the Indonesian province of Papua, and the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. In addition to an estimated 25,000 species of higher plants (vascular plants, which have specialized tissues for conducting water), these forests are also home to 760 bird species that are found nowhere else on Earth, tree kangaroos and other beautiful creatures such Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae), with a wingspan that can reach 28 cm. Over thousands of years, these forests have withstood cyclones, earthquakes and landslides. Although humans share a long history with them, they have remained largely unchanged by virtue of customary use. . . . But now, industrial logging, conversion of forests for agriculture, and mining are casting a shadow over the future of the forests and other ecosystems of New Guinea."