Bishop Museum Research
Seminar Series
EVERYONE WELCOME;
FREE LECTURE
THURSDAY
December
14, 2006
4:00 p.m. - 5:00
p.m.
PAKI CONFERENCE ROOM
BISHOP MUSEUM
Burke Burnett
Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance and Pacific Science Association
“ Preserving Living Landscapes with the Asmat in Southwest New Guinea ”
Despite being less than 1/2 of 1% of the Earth's land surface, New Guinea contains between 7 to 10% of the species on the planet, most of which are found nowhere else. The Asmat region, part of Lorentz National Park, the As ia-Pacific's largest protected area, is among the most biologically diverse in the world, with a profusion of birds of paradise, cockatoos, butterflies, and plants. With one of the most world-renowned woodcarving traditions, the Asmat people are keen to benefit from the outside world while maintaining their unique cultural identity, as well as preserving the richness of their forests, rivers, and seas. In Asmat culture and biodiversity are two sides of the same coin. If the forests disappear, Asmat culture will lose its foundation, and vice versa.
John Burke Burnett, Executive Director of the Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance, (IPCA) will discuss the outstanding biodiversity on the island of New Guinea, and his organization's work with the Asmat people in the remote southwestern coast of the island. Burke will describe the unique and innovative approach IPCA has taken in working with Asmat leaders since 2000 to help communities conserve their unique biodiversity while strengthening their cultural traditions and reinforcing self-reliance and grassroots initiatives.
The Bishop Museum Research Seminar Series is a monthly forum held on the SECOND THURSDAY of each month at 4 p.m. usually in the Paki 1 Conference Room. [Contact: Steve Coles, slcoles@bishopmuseum.org <mailto:slcoles@bishopmuseum.org, 847-8256]
Scheduled Speakers :
January 11: Dr. Robert Cowie, Center for Conservation Research and Training, University of Hawaii
February 8: Dr. Fred E Woods, Brigham Young University . Provo , Utah
For more information about the Bishop Museum Seminar Series, call 808.847.3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.
-pau-
