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Adelbert Mountains

Rain forest ©Nancy Sefton Adelbert area woman ©Peter Thomas/TNC
Rain forest Village woman from Adelbert area

Cloaked in lowland rainforest and sparsely populated, the Adelbert Mountains are the home to unique flora and fauna and strong cultural traditions.

Location
The Adelbert project area encompasses approximately 965 square miles of the western Adelbert Mountains and lies about 15.5 miles northwest of Madang Township on the north coast of New Guinea. Its topography is mostly mountainous with steep dissecting valleys, which at lower altitudes grade into broader riverbeds. The area is subject to frequent, though moderate seismic activity.

Flora and Fauna
This geographically young region is remarkably diverse with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 species of vascular plants. In 1999 the Conservancy conducted a partial botanical assessment of the area and identified nine new plant species (two of which were named for Consevancy scientists).

The Adelbert Mountains are home to more than 700 species of birds, including 38 of the world’s 43 species of bird of paradise, the lesser and magnificent birds of paradise among them. The rare fire-maned bowerbird also makes its home in the area, and can be found nowhere else on Earth. 

Tree kangaroos, giant bandicoots, and alpine wallabies all roam the region’s strikingly rich habitat.

Why the Conservancy Works Here
More than 75 percent of Papua New Guinea’s land area is covered in dense, tropical forest. Unfortunately, more than 60 percent of these forests are under serious threat from logging. In the Adelbert Mountains of Madang Province there is significant pressure from the government to log virtually pristine forests as part of a large forestry concession project. Since Papua New Guinea does not have a national park system or any legally protected areas and because land is held in traditional ownership by numerous clans, there is currently no way to secure the long-term, legal protection of the country’s incredibly important natural areas.

What the Conservancy is Doing
The Nature Conservancy has already developed strong relationships with local landowners, the Provincial Government and non-governmental organizations in the Adelbert Mountain area. Now the Conservancy is working with local clans to pioneer a new conservation mechanism — Conservation Covenants (essentially long-term land leases) — which offers great promise in securing lasting conservation of Papua New Guinea’s incredible tropical forests. Through this new conservation mechanism landowners agree to protect their lands for conservation over long periods of time in exchange for sustainable development benefits such as roads and schools. Following recent discussions with landowners and government agencies the Conservancy has begun implementing this groundbreaking project.