In 1960, the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was a result of the hard work by Margaret Thomas “Mardy” and Olaus Murie. Here is an inspirational quote by Mardy, taken from the book “The Mardy Murie Story: Arctic Dance” by Charles Craighead and Bonnie Krepps.

“We live in a precarious world; that we are threatened by man’s ingenuity; that we need a less consumptive lifestyle in order to preserve the beauty and grace of our world; and that our remaining wild places, our wilderness, have to be a most important element in all our thinking and all our doing.

I could repeat what Olaus used to say: that it was better to be in the thick of the fight than standing in the corner with your face to the wall. So I’d hate to think that all I can do is moan and cry and make a fuss. You have to somehow do more than that. You have to try to influence more people, that’s one thing.”

In July 2007, I had the honor to conduct research for my graduate dissertation on ecotourism development in the proposed UNESCO site of the Kikori River Basin, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The sponsor for my research was the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), one of the most influential conservation organizations spanning the globe.

“What ‘country’ are we visiting today?” was my daily question for the WWF staff. A large part of conducting the ecotourism assessment involved conducting interviews and informative sessions for the villagers residing in the Kikori River Basin. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is considered the most culturally diverse country in the world, and after my time there, I clearly understand the validity of this statement.

Over 800 languages are spoken in PNG, with Pidgin/Tok Pisin as the national language that unites the tribes by providing a way to communicate with each other. It is very common for a New Guinean to speak several languages, those of their parents’ tribes and Tok Pisin. However, it is not uncommon when traveling to the most remote areas, to encounter people who don’t even speak the national Tok Pisin language. WWF took that into consideration so I was often accompanied by more than two staff, depending on the languages they were able to translate. Therefore, everyday that we prepared to visit a new village, I prepared myself as one would in visiting a new country. From the Foi and Fasu around Lake Kutubu, Huli in the Southern Highlands Province, to the groups in the Kikori and Mt. Bosavi regions, all tribes speak their own language and have their own customs. So, each day we truly did visit a ‘new country’.

The land of PNG is just as remarkable as the inhabitants of the country. In addition to the cultural significance, the high level of endemic species and biological diversity are reasons why the Kikori River Basin is currently under consideration for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To provide a picture on the extreme diversity, let me recount one incident during my visit.

Wassi Falls is considered a famous attraction within PNG, and rightly so it is a phenomenal site to behold. The waterfall is located near Kantobo Village, the community of the Muti (lower Foi) tribe. Residing in one of the 11 areas of high biodiversity of the WWF’s Kikori River Programme (KRP), the potential in discovering new species is a prevalent aspect. Surprisingly, not many locals have visited Wassi Falls, much less a foreign woman. That day, I was accompanied by the WWF staff, landowner of the Wassi Falls area and about 4 men from nearby Kantobo. The landowner bushwhacked a trail for us through the forest with his machete. After an adventurous and fast-paced trek through the forest, balancing on logs, jumping limestone crevasses and scaling muddy vertical slopes - we arrived to the point overlooking Wassi Falls. We marveled in the wondrous sight as we sat on the vegetation-covered overhang, providing barely enough space for all of us to fit. During our rest, a small yellow frog appeared and began hopping around. The WWF staff excitedly told us to catch the frog, as his instinctual first-impression indicated that this frog could be a new species. The delicate frog was finally caught, and taken by the staff to assess its classification upon returning to the office.

This small occurrence resonated with me, exemplifying that a vast amount of the natural world is still ‘unknown’ to us despite all our technological advances. Just another of the endless messages to the human race, about the fragility of the Earth’s ecosystems and that we have to take immediate action to protect our home and all life.

**All photos in slideshow by Rosalyn Salters and Tanya Lake.