Rural development and conservation in Papua New Guinea
Abstract
Much of the work carried out at the Wau Ecology Institute has concerned subsistence agriculture. The aim is to help people carry out subsistence agriculture without destroying Papua New Guinea's primary forests - that is, to provide an alternative to shifting cultivation. By shifting cultivation we mean that crops are planted on land cleared by 'slashing and burning', and when that land is no longer fertile, more land is cleared. The original land is left to fallow for many years. Eventually, secondary forest grows, the soils become fertile again and the land can be used once more. This article gives a short description of the problems which prompted us to start our project on conservation in subsistence agriculture. This is followed by an outline of the activities of the project.
