A Biological Assessment of the Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea

The Lakekamu Basin of Papua New Guinea encompasses roughly 2500 square kilometres of pristine wilderness lowland rain forest. Exceptional both in terms of numbers of species (the greatest diversity of ant species known from anywhere in the world) and species found nowhere else, the basin is also sparsely populated, roadless, and so far unexploited by large-scale logging or mining projects, making it an excellent conservation opportunity. This book provides the results of an intensive survey of the basin’s plants, insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians, mammals, and birds. During just one month of field work, 35-47 new species and possibly new genera were discovered, highlighting the biological richness of this region.