New Guinea with Andrew Raine

This presentation is about the tropical island of New Guinea by Andrew Raine, a keen global birder who lives in Suffolk and has visited over 100 countries and seen over 7000 species of birds.

New Guinea is the second largest island in the world (after Greenland) and floristically the world's most diverse island with almost 14000 species of plants. Over 1000 bird species occur there including nearly 600 breeding species of which 325 species are endemic, including most of the Bird of Paradise species. It is undeniably a dream destination for birders.

An East-West spine of mountains, 1000 miles in length with many peaks over 4000m supporting glaciers and sub-alpine grasslands stretch the full length of the island creating a dramatic watershed between the SW Pacific and the Arafura Sea. Pristine forest covers both the uplands and lowlands while the coast supports vast mangroves. Many areas are so remote that they have not been scientifically explored and accommodate many native, little known tribal peoples.

Andrew's talk covers the Western region of New Guinea which is geopolitically part of Indonesia and known as West Papua, as well as the Eastern region of the island known as Papua New Guinea (or PNG) which is an independent nation. Please enjoy this feast of natural history wonder and ornithological glitz!