Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Center

First, here's the official web presence of Mahonia na Dari...

My pictures of Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Center

Information for Research Scientists and Guests

(information correct as of late 2000)

General introduction

Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Center is a small, permanent facility set in attractive park-like grounds on the western shore of Kimbe Bay. The facility is 11 km from Kimbe, the provincial capital of West New Britain Province, and is a five-minute walk from world-famous Walindi Plantation dive resort. Facilities consist of an air-conditioned main building that includes the office, a library, microscope room, and laboratory. Two two-bedroom accommodation units sleep up to eight guests. Additional accommodation is available, if necessary. Two boats (6.5 and 7 m length — 21 and 23 ft) with twin 40-hp Yamaha outboard motors and radios are available for research work.

Mahonia na Dari means 'Guardian of the Sea' in local dialect ('Tok Ples'), and its mission is to foster an appreciation of the incredible richness within Kimbe Bay among the people — particularly young people — who live on the Bay's fringes and elsewhere in Papua New Guinea. In the face of the catastrophic damage being visited on other Indo-Pacific reefs, and the documented intent of large-scale cyanide fishing operations to extend their devastating practice to Papua New Guinean waters, such educational outreach and encouragement of sustainable development is an urgent priority. Mahonia na Dari's other primary mission — support of marine research in the richest and perhaps least-explored marine province on Earth — meshes well with its educational activities. To this end, visiting scientists are strongly encouraged to directly participate in the educational process by presenting a talk, during their stay, to a group or groups of local students engaged in Mahonia na Dari's education programs.

The Kimbe Bay area

Links to information on the area are here.

  • Climate
    The average daytime temperature is likely to fall between 28 and 32°C (83 and 90°F), with night-time temperatures ranging between 25 and 27°C (77 to 81°F). Water temperature averages 28 to 31°C (83 to 88°F) each day. Annual precipitation is extremely high (about 3,810 mm, or 150 ins), and rainfall on the north coast, including Kimbe Bay, is lowest during May to August (average total during that time is 635 mm, or 25 ins). Humidity is variable, but usually high, averaging 75-95%. Altitude is zero (sea level) at Mahonia na Dari, rising steeply toward elevations of greater than 1100 m (3, 608 ft) in the rugged mountains directly behind, and even higher further into the island's interior.

  • Flora and fauna
    The lowlands are dominated by coconut and palm-oil plantations, that thrive thanks to the area's rich, volcanic soil. Lush rainforest covers the mountains behind. These habitats support a diverse fauna including bats, cuscuses, possums, an incredible avifauna (146 species, with many parrots, but no birds-of-paradise), and nearly 200 butterfly species, including plenty of birdwing butterflies. Snakes, particularly pythons and small tree snakes, are abundant. No poisonous snakes are found in the area. Rainforests consist of up to five layers of vegetation, including tall trees with buttressed trunks that form a dense canopy, palms, lianes, and abundant epiphytes. Offshore islands are cloaked in the same dense, virgin rainforest . Mosquitos are common and constitute the most irritating and potentially harmful of the area's insect fauna. Sandflies are a minor irritant.

  • Geography
    The area adjacent to Kimbe Bay is backed by rugged mountains (including active volcanoes) and virgin rainforest. The island of New Britain is almost 600 km (373 miles) in length, and West New Britain has a land area of 20487 square km (7908 square miles) with a (1988) population of 105000. Most of the province's interior is uninhabited. This is the most volcanically-active part of PNG. Extinct and active volcanoes, geyser fields, boiling mud pools, and volcanic lakes are characteristic of both Hoskins and Willaumez Peninsulas, and adjacent islands. The major industry in this part of New Britain is production of palm oil. Walindi Plantation itself is a large palm-oil plantation, in operation since 1935, but there are thousands of other smallhold growers involved in this successful industry.

  • Culture
    PNG's biological diversity is rivaled only by its cultural diversity. The province of West New Britain is relatively undeveloped, having experienced little contact with Europeans until the 1960s. Today, English and Tok Pisin (PNG Pidgin) are the dominant languages. Locally, the Kimbe Cultural Center in Kimbe has a museum and crafts center. Ancient Lapita pottery sites are found in the area, and Sepik carvings and locally handcrafted items are available. Traditional dances are sometimes performed in local villages. Women are expected to dress 'modestly' in public areas — knees covered when away from the resort or research facility. Even males should avoid wearing brief shorts of the running-short type in town or elsewhere away from Walindi and Mahonia na Dari.

    Papua New Guinea met the world of the late Twentieth Century in a headlong rush, resulting in a mish-mash of cultural influences and social mores. Unfortunately, the transformation has not been entirely smooth, and many find themselves in a limbo between the old and the new. One result is that Papua New Guinea continues to suffer from a problem with lawless behavior — the perpetrators being given the deceptively benign appellation, 'rascals.' It is generally recommended that women (men, too) do not travel alone at day or night anywhere in the nation.

  • Politics
    PNG is a parliamentary democracy with a Governor General representing Queen Elizabeth II, a Prime Minister, and a National Parliament. Provincial Assemblies were dissolved during 1995 in favor of a system of Provincial Governors. West New Britain is politically stable.

  • Kimbe Bay underwater
    The section of Kimbe Bay in which most visitors to Mahonia na Dari dive and snorkel is somewhat sheltered by Willaumez Peninsula. Reefs feature luxuriant coral growth, with spectacular hard coral formations, masses of crinoids, and a staggering diversity of fishes — at least 800 species, not counting more cryptic and rare fishes. By comparison, the entire ichthyfauna of the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean area numbers somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 species. About 100 species of damselfish occur in Papua New Guinea, over six times the number present in the entire tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Included among the exotica on display are flashlight fishes, sometimes seen on night dives near the Research Centre. About 320 coral species are found in Kimbe Bay. Average horizontal visibility falls between 15 and 60 m (50 and 200 ft).

    Large coral pinnacles and seamounts that rise to within a few meters of the surface, are characteristic of Kimbe Bay — one such reef has much of its peak covered by a mass of carpet anemones with their requisite anemonefishes, with thick curtains of barracuda, trevallies (jacks), and other pelagic fishes and predators gathering around its crest. Other reef structures include atolls, large barrier reefs, patch reefs, spur-and-groove systems, and shallow shoals (with their crests within as little as less than one meter beneath the surface) where soft corals and sea fans give way to vertiginous walls, the sheerest drop-offs being found further offshore. Diving and snorkeling is excellent close to shore, as well, and a nice reef flat is a three-minute boat ride from the Research Center. Snorkelers from the beach can explore a fringing reef. Kimbe Bay's primary dive sites are discussed on Walindi's excellent Worldwide Web pages.

    Kimbe Bay is not afflicted by the presence of sea wasps (Chironex fleckeri), and other nasty stingers are not a problem. Only a few of the milder jellyfish species are ever encountered, and are not found in any abundance in the Bay. Other stinging animals are present in the waters of Kimbe Bay, including scorpaenid fishes.

    Sea snakes are rarely seen in Kimbe Bay, and tend to be wary, shying away from divers. Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are an even more rare sight, generally occurring only in rivers in unpopulated parts of the area. The most common shark species is the gray reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), followed by the placid whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus), scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), silvertip (C. albimarginatus), and blacktip reef shark (C. melanopterus). Rare appearances are made by silky sharks (C. falcifomis — usually seen there with schools of tuna) and there has been one sighting of a mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). Whale sharks (Rhiniodon typus) are occasionally seen in Kimbe Bay. Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), although commonly caught at night by fishermen further out in the Bay, are very rarely seen by divers, which seems to be a typical situation around the world. In general, Kimbe Bay does not boast the wild abundance of elasmobranch activity that is more typical of other parts of the Indo-Pacific Region and other parts of PNG. Spinner dolphins, killer whales, sperm whales, pilot whales, and other toothed whales are frequently seen in Kimbe Bay. On more than one occasion (typically once each year), divers from Walindi have witnessed and filmed orcas eating hammerhead sharks and playing with the carcasses.

  • Other attractions
    In addition to the geothermal activity on spectacular display, the rainforest and its colorful denizens, and the prolific reefs of Stettin and Kimbe Bays, World War II wrecks of downed USAAF bombers can be explored behind the small, picturesque, town of Talasea. A Japanese hospital ship lies in 9 m (30 ft) of water off Talasea. A B-25 (Mitchell) medium bomber and a Lockheed Ventura aircraft rest, in good order, on a World War II emergency landing strip located a half hour's drive from the Resort. The primary attractions of the area are definitely natural, whether terrestrial or aquatic.

    Health

  • Diving
    Some of the water conditions encountered in Kimbe Bay may tire even the most prepared and fit diver. The best kind of conditioning for SCUBA or snorkel diving is diving itself, and divers are encouraged to attempt to dive locally prior to leaving for Papua New Guinea. This will allow re-familiarization with diving and equipment (if it has been a while since submersion), work on fine-tuning diving skills (such as buoyancy control, navigation, and air consumption), and field test equipment before leaving for Papua New Guinea. Swimming is also a good pre-expedition exercise — preferably with fins on — and activities such as running and bicycling have benefits for overall health and aerobic efficiency that relate strongly to safe, enjoyable diving. Although you will likely experience largely benign water conditions you may, at times, dive in areas of moderate to high current velocity. If you have had previous experience of Papua New Guinean diving in locales like Madang and Kavieng, you will find the currents within Kimbe Bay to be typically much less severe. Although being an Olympic swimmer is not a prerequisite, some of the conditions encountered may call for a degree of physical ability and solid diving skills.

  • Sun and heat
    Heat, dehydration, and the effects of the sun are all supremely important health considerations, through both direct and indirect effects (including their contribution to increased probability of decompression sickness among divers). Visitors should keep these harsh environmental factors in mind as they pack appropriate preventative creams, clothing, etc. The antimalarial drug, doxycycline, has a side effect that increases sensitivity to the sun, resulting in quite nasty sunburns for the inadequately-protected. Once on-site, visitors should consciously down copious volumes of water , to the point of feeling waterlogged, especially for the first few days.

  • Medical facilities
    The nearest hospital is in Kimbe, about 15 to 20 minutes away by road, though its facilities are rather basic. In serious cases, patients are usually evacuated to Australia — an Australian visa (if one is not already obtained for a stopover) is not necessary because a medical note will secure emergency entry. Townsville, Australia, is an expensive 4-1/2 hours away by air. Estimated cost of air evacuation is US$17, 000, not including treatment charges. Diver's insurance is strongly recommended, whether diving or not. There is now a recompression facility in Port Moresby, but the evacuation and hyperbaric treatment process will still be prohibitively expensive if you are not insured.

    If your work or leisuretime activity includes diving, we highly highly recommend DAN (Divers' Alert Network) insurance. DAN coverage is widely available and includes Medevac and travel insurance as well as coverage of accidents related to diving and other activity. DAN is a proven performer in PNG. If your research dictates dives deeper than 39 m/130', purchase the Master coverage — other coverage plans will not provide insurance if the arbitrary 39-m/130' sport-diving limit is crossed. The high cost of evacuation to Moresby and recompression treatment should be potent reason to obtain or renew DAN insurance before leaving and to learn more about the many factors suspected to contribute to decompression sickness.

  • Malaria and other hazards
    PNG is relatively free of serious health hazards, the primary exception being malaria. Chloroquine-resistant malaria is endemic to the region, and appropriate anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis (such as doxycycline or Lariam) must be taken before leaving, while on-site, and after having returned home. Make sure that your travel plans allow enough time to take the antimalarial prior to departure for PNG (this also allows you to gauge any potential side-effects of the drug) and be consistent with faithfully taking the medicine at the prescribed times.

    Lariam is the subject of some controversy, because of its potential infrequent side-effects (including mimicking symptoms of decompression sickness, that are generally so general that just about anything can mimic them, and the famous vivid 'Lariam Dreams'). Lariam is prescribed most frequently for American travelers coming to PNG and it has been said that American doctors and the Center for Disease Control actively push Lariam as the antimalarial drug of choice. Most Europeans and Australians — including the staff of Walindi resort — take a less charitable view of the drug and do not recommend it. Rarer side-effects can include severe psychotic reactions, but most who take Lariam suffer no more than mild symptoms, if any. Mild depression is a more common side-effect that may significantly diminish your enjoyment of the Kimbe Bay experience. New drugs promise to deliver Lariam's undeniable effectiveness in a lower-risk package, so research the topic before leaving for PNG. Which anti-malarial is the best for a region changes constantly, and you are advised to contact the American Center for Disease Control or a similar authority for further information on appropriate malarial chemoprophylaxis and other precautions specific to PNG.

    Many people living in PNG take a combination of drugs, not available in some other countries. Others take no medication and choose to wait until infected, at which point a variety of drugs can be brought into play. It is a good idea for visitors to take some kind of antimalarial drug — malaria is a serious disease and is responsible for more deaths in most malarious nations than any other agent of mortality. Behavioral modification can enhance probability of avoiding malaria — wear a good insect repellent at high-risk times of the day (or locations, such as in the rainforest), consider a permethrine-based clothing spray, wear tight-weave fabrics, and cover up if outside during the twlight hours when the female Anopheles mosquitos are most active.

    For advice on necessary immunizations and prescriptions, seek out either a doctor who specializes in tropical medicine or the travel or wilderness medicine clinic nearest your home (universities often offer such services, usually extending them to non-students). Polio and tetanus vaccination are fairly standard for tropical destinations, and cholera, typhoid, and other vaccinations may be recommended by your doctor.

  • Diving and flying: we strongly urge that researchers plan a 24-hour interval between SCUBA diving activity and their departure by air.

    Permits and Visa Requirements

    All persons intending to conduct research in Papua New Guinea must obtain a research permit and visa through their local Papua New Guinea Embassy or consulate. Additional information on the process for obtaining visas and permits is available from the Manager, if needed.

    Entry and arrival

    Domestic airlines in PNG have a 16 kg (35 lb) baggage limit for checked luggage — visitors bringing much over 20 kg (44 lbs) may be charged an excess baggage fee that can be quite high. The good news is that there is an extra, 15 kg (33 lb), free allowance for diving gear. This extra weight allowance may allow lighter packers (if you're a marine biologist, you're perhaps unlikely to fall into this category) to get away without paying excess charges. This provision applies only to people entering and leaving PNG on Air Niugini. Air Niugini has a great safety record and offers friendly service so transferring to them for entry to PNG is a good idea. Carry-on baggage must be compact enough to fit under a seat, as not all Air Niugini domestic-route aircraft have overhead luggage racks — your transfer to Hoskins will likely be by Fokker F-28, that has adequate room in overhead bins even for oversized carry-on items.

    Charges for excess baggage on the Port Moresby-Hoskins leg (as of April, 1996) are 2.37 kina for every 1 kg (2.2 lbs) over the limit. Currently, 1 kina=US$0.33, resulting in excess charges of US$12 each way on 46 kg (100 lb) of checked baggage, including the extra allowance for dive gear. Most international carriers allow two bags of up to 32 kg (70 lbs) apiece. In reality, you may escape paying excess baggage charges even if carrying heavy equipment or more pieces than allowed — as always, whether you avoid or pay excess baggage charges is often the luck of the draw. If you are coming to PNG via Australia, good luck with the baggage handlers there — their intransigence on matters of oversized baggage is infamous among divers worldwide ("can't pick up that bag, mate, because it's half a kilo over the limit and it's against Union rules...") and you may end up repacking as you try your best not to miss a connection. Even if you do not take Qantas, you will be at their ground staff's mercy.

    West New Britain's airport is in Hoskins, a 45-minute drive on a sealed road from Mahonia na Dari. The trip from the airport to the research station is approximately a 45-minute drive and provides views of the Bay and surrounding areas. Air Niugini schedules daily flights to and from Hoskins each morning and afternoon. The aircraft is usually a Fokker F-28 turboprop. All researchers will be met at Hoskins airport — it is crucial that correct flight details are given when booking the research station.

    Accommodation and Meals

    Mahonia na Dari provides self-contained, well-appointed bungalows — constructed in traditional style — for visiting scientists and guests. Each bungalow has two bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and deck. Accommodation will be on a shared-room (two persons in one room, up to four in the other) basis, unless single rooms are available. Rooms are insect screened, but no personal mosquito netting is provided. Cooking (refrigerator and gas stove) and laundry facilities are provided, as are bed linen and cooking and eating utensils. Visitors should bring enough towels for diving, swimming, and showering. Bringing a plastic mug and/or sipper bottle is a very good idea, and will help keep visitors hydrated at all times.

    Showers have both hot and cold water. Flush toilets are connected to a septic system. There are no restrictions on use of water — something of a rare situation in the world of tropical marine research — as water is one thing that is in no short supply on the lush island of New Britain. Meals can be catered by arrangement with the Manager or researchers can eat at nearby Walindi Resort. Food is available from a variety of markets in and around Kimbe — charges for use of a Mahonia na Dari vehicle to pick up supplies in Kimbe average about US$XX per trip. Walindi's culinary offerings include Western and Asian buffets at all three meals, available at fixed times each day.

    There is a large social area at the Resort as well as a very good library with diving and marine science books and a wide range of novels for escapist reading. The extensive grounds outside offer plenty of room for those times when a person just "wants to be alone." Walindi's dock and beach are a few minutes from your accommodations (that themselves are but a few steps away from the sea), affording easy access to the water and to offshore sites by speedboat.

    Power

    Electric power at the center is 240V, 50 Hz, provided by diesel generators. Several power points are available. No 110V outlets exist within the facility, and visitors from North America or other areas where 110V power is the norm should bring voltage transformers for electrical equipment that is not dual-voltage (check first: many video and computer units are dual voltage). The small FRANZUS-type power transformers sold to many tourists will suffice for some items, but larger step-down transformers may be more appropriate for long-term use, sensitive equipment, or high-wattage applications. Plug adaptors may be necessary — electrical plugs in Papua New Guinea conform with those in Australia and New Zealand — three prongs. A quality 220V surge suppressor should be brought for laptop computers or other electronic devices. Dual-voltage surge suppressors are also now available.

    Bench Fees

    The cost of using the facility is US$40.00 per day, per person. Included in this fee is:

  • full use of the facility with the exception of telephone and FAX, which is provided on a user-pays basis. Standard Telecom charges apply and all telephone and FAX accounts are payable on departure.

  • use of a research vessel and boatman free of charge to and from the many nearshore reefs between Numundo and Sandy Island, approximately 5 km along the coast in both directions. Researchers who wish to work beyond this area will need to negotiate additional fuel costs with the manager. Fuel charges will be payable on departure.

  • Tanks, weights, and air will be available for researchers at the facility. Tanks have standard (non-DIN) valves — Europeans and others with DIN-equipped regulators will need to purchase an adaptor prior to leaving for Papua New Guinea. All tanks are 80-cu-ft aluminum. Air is provided by Walindi Plantation Resort's compressors.

    Acceptable methods of payment to the Research Center include cash, credit card, traveler's cheques, or prior-approved university purchase order. All other options must be approved at time of booking.

    Reservations

    All prospective visiting research scientists and guests should provide the following information to confirm a reservation at the research facility:

  • Name
  • Contacts: telephone, FAX, and e-mail
  • Institutional affiliation
  • Proposed dates of arrival and departure
  • Persons intending to conduct research at Mahonia na Dari must provide a short (1-2 pp) proposal that describes their research plan, with particular attention to description of any manipulative research that might be necessary
  • Evaluation of each proposal will precede confirmation of the reservation

    These details may be FAXed to Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Center at FAX number (675) 983-4241; attention: The Manager.

    Additional Information

    For additional information please contact The Manager, Mahonia Na Dari Research And Conservation Center:

    Mr Shannon Seeto, Manager
    Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Center
    PO Box 697
    Kimbe, West New Britain
    Papua New Guinea

    Ph (675) 983-4241
    Fax (675) 983-4241
    e-mail : mahonia@global.net.pg

    PNG time is the same as Australian Eastern Time, 10 hours ahead of GMT and 18 hours ahead of the US Pacific Time Zone.