Papua New Guinea Research Articles

Development and Decolonisation: the 1964 UN Conference on Trade and Development and the Independence of Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT The 1964 UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is often presented as a pivotal moment in the post-Second World War relations between the Global North and Global South. At this conference, Australian policymakers devised a Middle Zone policy that sought to present Australia as neither ‘developed’ nor ‘developing’. This had significant consequences for the colonial administration of Papua New Guinea (PNG), which Australia administered as a UN Trust Territory. In the two decades following the Second World War, Australia had administered PNG in a way that promoted gradual development, arguing that the road to independence would be a slow one. By 1964, however, international pressure (exemplified by the call for UNCTAD) had made this policy less viable. This article examines the impact of UNCTAD on the decolonisation of PNG, as it sparked an acceleration of calls for PNG independence in the second half of the 1960s. The Conference also prompted indigenous leaders within PNG to engage with the increasingly diverse field of development in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Local leaders, such as Michael Somare, became increasingly prominent as decolonisation loomed large. Their developmental approaches, informed by other movements within the Global South, steadily became a part of the plan for an independent PNG. UNCTAD can be seen as a starting point for this process. By examining the connections between the 1964 UNCTAD and the decolonisation of PNG, this paper adds a new dimension to the scholarship of the Conference as well as the process of decolonisation in the Pacific.

Short-term resilience to climate-induced temperature increases for equatorial sea turtle populations.

Projection models are being increasingly used to manage threatened taxa by estimating their responses to climate change. Sea turtles are particularly susceptible to climate change as they have temperature-dependent sex determination and increased sand temperatures on nesting beaches could result in the 'feminisation' of hatchling sex ratios for some populations. This study modelled likely long-term trends in sand temperatures and hatchling sex ratios at an equatorial nesting site for endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). A total of 1078 days of sand temperature data were collected from 28 logger deployments at nest depth between 2018 and 2022 in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Long-term trends in sand temperature were generated from a model using air temperature as an environmental proxy. The influence of rainfall and seasonal variation on sand temperature was also investigated. Between 1960 and 2019, we estimated that sand temperature increased by ~0.6°C and the average hatchling sex ratio was relatively balanced (46.2% female, SD = 10.7). No trends were observed in historical rainfall anomaliesand projections indicated no further changes to rainfall until 2100. Therefore, the sex ratio models were unlikely to be influenced by changing rainfall patterns. A relatively balanced sex ratio such as this is starkly different to the extremely female-skewed hatchling sex ratio (>99% female) reported for another Coral Sea nesting site, Raine Island (~850 km West). This PNG nesting site is likely rare in the global context, as it is less threatened by climate-induced feminisation. Although there is no current need for 'cooling' interventions, the mean projected sex ratios for 2020-2100 were estimated 76%-87% female, so future interventions may be required to increase male production. Our use of long-term sand temperature and rainfall trends has advanced our understanding of climate change impacts on sea turtles.

Women’s Help-Seeking in China and Papua New Guinea: Factors That Impact Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Victimization due to men’s intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration against women has many negative physical and mental health effects that can last for generations. Understanding how women seek help in response to abuse, and from whom, can help to inform intervention and prevention efforts. This study sought to understand the help-seeking behavior of women who have experienced IPV in two under-researched countries in Asia and the Pacific, China, and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Based on data from the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence, this study used a series of logistic regression models to examine what factors increased women’s likelihood of seeking help from family members and what factors increased the likelihood of a positive reaction in response to help-seeking. More than three quarters of the sample never disclosed their abuse. Those who sought help most frequently went to their female family members or female in-laws. Women were more likely to seek help if they had been severely injured, were experiencing multiple forms of IPV, were experiencing suicidal ideation, held fewer beliefs about traditional gender norms or if they had not witnessed IPV between their own parents. A positive response upon disclosure was contingent on the severity of injuries and women’s knowledge of violence against women legislation and public service campaigns. These findings help to bridge the gap in knowledge about help-seeking behavior from informal supports and the role that community education on IPV could have in ensuring that victims of IPV are supported by family when disclosing partner violence.

Machine Learning Algorithms for Predicting Stunting among Under-Five Children in Papua New Guinea.

Preventing stunting is particularly important for healthy development across the life course. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), the prevalence of stunting in children under five years old has consistently not improved. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to employ multiple machine learning algorithms to identify the most effective model and key predictors for stunting prediction in children in PNG. The study used data from the 2016-2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic Health Survey, including from 3380 children with complete height-for-age data. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and random-forest-recursive feature elimination were used for feature selection. Logistic regression, a conditional decision tree, a support vector machine with a radial basis function kernel, and an extreme gradient boosting machine (XGBoost) were employed to construct the prediction model. The performance of the final model was evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and area under the curve (AUC). The results of the study showed that LASSO-XGBoost has the best performance for predicting stunting in PNG (AUC: 0.765; 95% CI: 0.714-0.819) with accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores of 0.728, 0.715, 0.628, and 0.669, respectively. Combined with the SHAP value method, the optimal prediction model identified living in the Highlands Region, the age of the child, being in the richest family, and having a larger or smaller birth size as the top five important characteristics for predicting stunting. Based on the model, the findings support the necessity of preventing stunting early in life. Emphasizing the nutritional status of vulnerable maternal and child populations in PNG is recommended to promote maternal and child health and overall well-being.

Counting the homeless in Papua New Guinea 2024 population and housing census

The 2011 population census in Papua New Guinea (PNG) failed to generate reliable data due to logistical constraints and inadequate capacity. Addressing this, this conceptual communication analyses the benefits of using single contact census, capture-recapture method, and indirect estimation to enumerate the homeless population in the PNG 2024 Census. The study argues that, owing to the distinct geographical distribution of the homeless in urban locales, the single-contact census and the capture-recapture method emerge as the most suitable strategies for the 2024 enumeration. The exploration meticulously outlines the practical assumptions imperative for deploying these techniques, emphasizing their pivotal role in ensuring an accurate representation of the homeless demographic. This paper serves as a pivotal guide to adapting and refining enumeration methodologies to overcome challenges witnessed in the previous PNG census. The study concludes by explaining the practical assumptions for using the single-contact census and the capture-recapture method in the PNG 2024 census.

New Australian frontier in freshwater fish invasion via Torres Strait Islands

AbstractAll continents, excluding Antarctica and the Artic, have been affected by incursion from alien freshwater fish species. Australia has not been spared. Four hundred and fifty species have now been declared on the ornamental importation list, making management a real challenge. With approximately 25 non-native species documented, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has likely some problems with invasive freshwater fish. Many of these species have been intentionally introduced to increase access to food as a protein source for remote communities or have spread naturally from western parts of Java and Indonesia, and now constitute a large biomass on some floodplain areas in PNG. The Torres Strait is located between PNG and northern Queensland and was previously a land bridge, though now under higher sea levels the region exists as a series of approximately 300 islands. The threat of further range extension of freshwater fish from PNG into northern Queensland via the Torres Strait Islands is significant, with two invasive fish species already recorded on northern islands of the Torres Strait (climbing perch, Anabas testudineus which has been continually recorded for the past decade; and recently the GIFT tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus). Here we present a case to control further spread of invasive freshwater fish species towards Australia, using a Land and Sea Ranger program, where Rangers are trained to be confident in the identification of pest fish species and to implement strategies to protect their borders from potential future incursions. The success of this program relies on Rangers to continue partaking in surveillance monitoring of coastal waters, checking and controlling for any new invasive species moving from PNG into Australian waters. We outline the biosecurity obligation under Article 14 of the Treaty between the two nations, which identifies the importance of conservation and protection of coastal floodplains from invasive species, and the spread between both nations.

Barriers to the success of COVID-19 immunisation programs in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea.

Although guidance exists for the public health activities recommended for the management of COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea (PNG), community vaccine hesitancy has been identified as a major challenge. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, people living in rural and remote communities, the socioeconomically disadvantaged and those with certain pre-existing medical conditions are disproportionally affected by COVID-19. This project aimed to address the reasons for community vaccine hesitancy in New Ireland Province, PNG. To understand the reasons for vaccine hesitancy and intent to vaccinate within the community, a mixed-methods approach was used in conjunction with two methods of data collection. First, a survey was provided to community members. The survey was adapted from two pre-existing validated survey instruments, the Oxford COVID-19 Hesitancy Scale and the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Complacency Scale. Community leaders and healthcare workers were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to provide a more detailed response of their experience of vaccine acceptance. A total of 181 participants from New Ireland Province were surveyed. Although vaccine awareness among the cohort was high (86.7%), overall uptake of vaccination was low (7.2%). Despite this, only 27.6% of participants indicated they would receive the vaccine should it be made available to them. Participants had concerns regarding vaccine safety, vaccine advice, and the authenticity and origins of the COVID-19 virus itself. Religious and political influence compounded the mistrust community members had for vaccine recommendations. Some community members stated their community had suffered for many years with serious illness, expressing a fatalistic acceptance of the virus, as they do other illnesses. Vaccine hesitancy is a significant problem that has the potential to negatively affect population-level health. An urgent focused effort to strengthen immunisation programs in PNG is evident. Preventative primary health care is a national priority; however, for the successful delivery of vaccination initiatives, well-formed immunisation programs that include education that will dispel myths and misinformation are required.

Evidence for a universal association of auditory roughness with musical stability.

We provide evidence that the roughness of chords-a psychoacoustic property resulting from unresolved frequency components-is associated with perceived musical stability (operationalized as finishedness) in participants with differing levels and types of exposure to Western or Western-like music. Three groups of participants were tested in a remote cloud forest region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), and two groups in Sydney, Australia (musicians and non-musicians). Unlike prominent prior studies of consonance/dissonance across cultures, we framed the concept of consonance as stability rather than as pleasantness. We find a negative relationship between roughness and musical stability in every group including the PNG community with minimal experience of musical harmony. The effect of roughness is stronger for the Sydney participants, particularly musicians. We find an effect of harmonicity-a psychoacoustic property resulting from chords having a spectral structure resembling a single pitched tone (such as produced by human vowel sounds)-only in the Sydney musician group, which indicates this feature's effect is mediated via a culture-dependent mechanism. In sum, these results underline the importance of both universal and cultural mechanisms in music cognition, and they suggest powerful implications for understanding the origin of pitch structures in Western tonal music as well as on possibilities for new musical forms that align with humans' perceptual and cognitive biases. They also highlight the importance of how consonance/dissonance is operationalized and explained to participants-particularly those with minimal prior exposure to musical harmony.

Patients’ Perspective on Barriers to Utilization of a Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service

This study was conducted to determine the barriers to the utilization of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A list of patients booked for DR screening at Madang Provincial Hospital Eye Clinic (MPHEC) between January 2017 and December 2021 who had not been screened was retrieved, and the patients were invited to participate in the study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26 was used for the analysis. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. One hundred and twenty-nine patients (37.4%) did not attend DR screening for the period under study. The study response rate was 80.6%. The mean ± SD age of the respondents was 51.5 ± 10.9 years. The majority of the study respondents were female (62.5%), people living in rural settings (53.8%), and farmers (22.1%). Time constraints, poor knowledge about DR, and long waiting periods at the DR screening center were the main barriers to the uptake of DR screening. Compared to respondents in urban communities, those in rural settings were significantly concerned about cost (p < 0.001), travel distance to the MPHEC (p < 0.001), and poor information about DR screening (p = 0.002). More than half of the respondents (63.5%) had discontinued using pharmacotherapy for DM. There is a high rate of nonadherence to diabetes (DM) and DR treatment in PNG. There is a need for public health campaigns about DM and strategic DR screening at the community level in PNG and similar countries.

The Role of Mathematics Teacher Education in Overcoming Narrow Neocolonial Views of Mathematics

Over the past 30 years, teacher education has changed to incorporate a larger emphasis on understanding students’ sociocultural backgrounds, knowing that these influence their learning. However, in terms of mathematics and mathematics education in teacher education, less has been done to recognise the sociocultural mathematics backgrounds of students. An example is provided to show how entrenched colonial attitudes to mathematics have developed into neocolonial policies that influence mathematics education. This example is based on a large historic research project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) that aimed to document and analyse the nature of mathematics education from tens of thousands of years ago to the present. Data sources varied from records of first contact and later records, archaeology, oral histories, language analyses, lived experiences, memoirs, government documents, field studies, and previous research especially doctoral studies. The impacts of colonisation, post-colonial aid and globalisation on mathematics education have been analysed, establishing an understanding of the current status of mathematics education as neocolonial. Neocolonial education policies diminish cultural ways of thinking. Thus, teacher education has an important role in sensitizing preservice and inservice teachers to the impact of neocolonial approaches as well as in developing with students some ways of reducing this impact and encouraging more holistic, culturally relevant mathematics education.

From rookeries to foraging grounds: understanding regional connectivity and genetic diversity in hawksbill turtles

This study investigated the genetic structure, diversity, and migratory patterns of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from two nesting locations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing and satellite telemetry. Tissue samples collected from nesting female hawksbill turtles (n=75) in PNG revealed a total of 6 haplotypes from the Conflict Group site and 5 haplotypes from Kavieng site, with the Conflict Group and Kavieng samples significantly differing from one another and all other known Asia-Pacific stocks. This finding expands our understanding of the genetic stock structure of hawksbill turtles in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in 9 Management Units (MUs) now published. Satellite tracking of 15 hawksbill turtles revealed that all individuals migrated from the Conflict Group westerly towards foraging areas in eastern Australia (93%) and PNG (7%). With a mean migration path distance of 1241 ± 108 km, three distinct migration strategies were used by the 10 hawksbill turtles that made it to their foraging grounds in the I) eastern Torres Strait, II) Far North Queensland, and III) western PNG waters. A broad scope of home-range strategies and sizes (95% UD) were used, and in comparison to other studies further postulates that hawksbills are connected to non-specific foraging grounds associated with food source availability. This study provides for the first time in PNG essential insights into hawksbill turtle population structure and connectivity in the western Pacific region, highlighting the importance of effectively conserving and managing this critically endangered species as distinct population stocks. Furthermore, we make recommendations for national and regional conservation strategies and transboundary management to ensure the long-term survival and recovery of western Pacific’s hawksbill turtle populations.

A Road, a Border, and Development in New Guinea

A road being built in north-western Western Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), addresses local desires for mobility, for development, and for establishing materially beneficial relationships with people living west of the border in the Indonesian province of South Papua. This road is explicitly intended to reach beyond the nation and, like all routes to border-crossings, exposes differences even as it connects. On the Indonesian side a new sealed road reaches the border at Yetetkun, which is being established as a third official Indonesia–PNG cross-border post. More resources are committed to the Indonesian project than to the PNG project, a difference that is materially apparent at the border. The potential exists that the construction of roads and cross-border posts of these kinds, in combination with triggers arising elsewhere in PNG, may fuel persistent dissatisfactions within Western Province and tempt realignment to the west.

The Impact of Malaria among pregnant women in Papua New Guinea: A Systematic Review of Epidemiology, Prevention & Treatment.

BACKGROUND:
 Malaria in pregnancy is a serious public health problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are endemic. Malaria infection during pregnancy can cause maternal anemia, low birth weight, preterm delivery and congenital malaria, which can have serious consequences for the health and survival of mothers and infants. The aim of this literature review was to assess & summarize the current state of knowledge and practice on malaria epidemiology, prevention and treatment in pregnant women and their newborns in PNG, based on ten research papers published from 1986 to 2021.
 Subjects and Methods:
 This was a systematic review conducted by searching articles from Google Scholar database and Mendeley Elsevier database and PubMed. The inclusion criteria were namely articles published in 1900 to 2022 years, cross sectional design study, and using quantitative method. The study subjects were pregnant women who visited antenatal clinics with or without malaria, research locations in Papua New Guinea. The exclusion criteria were articles that did not available in full text and located not in Papua New Guinea. The articles were then critically appraised and synthesized according to five main themes: anemia and iron deficiency, submicroscopic malaria infections, placental malaria infection, and knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning malaria in pregnancy & congenital malaria.
 Results:
 A total of 10 papers were included in the review, covering various aspects of malaria epidemiology, prevention and treatment in pregnant women and their newborns in PNG. The main findings of the papers were: (1) anemia was very common and associated with splenomegaly, iron deficiency and malaria infection; (2) submicroscopic infections were common, but not associated with maternal anemia or low birth weight; (3) placental malaria infection was detected in 18.5% of placentas, and was associated with maternal anemia, low birth weight and preterm delivery; (4) there was a general awareness of the term “malaria”, but it was often confused with other illnesses or pregnancy symptoms; (5) congenital malaria infection was detected in 5.6% of newborns, mostly due to P. falciparum.
 Conclusion:
 This literature review provided useful evidence and recommendations for improving malaria prevention and control in pregnant women and their newborns in PNG, but also highlighted the need for more research and action to address the remaining challenges and gaps. The review concluded that malaria in pregnancy is a serious public health problem in PNG that requires comprehensive and integrated approaches to achieve its elimination by 2030.
 Keywords: Malaria in pregnancy, Papua New Guinea, Anemia, Submicroscopic malaria infections, Placental malaria infection

Community perspectives and experiences of quality maternal and newborn care in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea

BackgroundQuality maternal and newborn care is essential for improving the health of mothers and babies. Low- and middle-income countries, such as Papua New Guinea (PNG), face many barriers to achieving quality care for all. Efforts to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care must involve community in the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives to ensure that interventions are appropriate and relevant for the target community. We aimed to describe community members’ perspectives and experiences of maternal and newborn care, and their ideas for improvement in one province, East New Britain, in PNG.MethodsWe undertook a qualitative descriptive study in partnership with and alongside five local health facilities, health care workers and community members, using a Partnership Defined Quality Approach. We conducted ten focus group discussions with 68 community members (identified through church, market and other community-based groups) in East New Britain PNG to explore perspectives and experiences of maternal and newborn care, identify enablers and barriers to quality care and interventions to improve care. Discussions were transcribed verbatim. A mixed inductive and deductive analysis was conducted including application of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Quality Maternal and Newborn Care framework.ResultsUsing the WHO framework, we present the findings in accordance with the five experience of care domains. We found that the community reported multiple challenges in accessing care and facilities were described as under-staffed and under resourced. Community members emphasised the importance of good communication and competent, caring and respectful healthcare workers. Both women and men expressed a strong desire for companionship during labor and birth. Several changes were suggested by the community that could immediately improve the quality of care.ConclusionsCommunity perspectives and experiences are critical for informing effective and sustainable interventions to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care and increasing facility-based births in PNG. A greater understanding of the care experience as a key component of quality care is needed and any quality improvement initiatives must include the user experience as a key outcome measure.

Pneumococcal carriage, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility in Papua New Guinean children vaccinated with PCV10 or PCV13 in a head-to-head trial

BackgroundChildren in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are at high risk of pneumococcal infections. We investigated pneumococcal carriage rates, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility in PNG children after vaccination with 10-valent or 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV10; PCV13). MethodsInfants (N = 262) were randomized to receive 3 doses of PCV10 or PCV13 at 1-2-3 months of age, followed by pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (PPV) or no PPV at 9 months of age. Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) collected at ages 1, 4, 9, 10, 23 and 24 months were cultured using standard bacteriological procedures. Morphologically distinct Streptococcus pneumoniae colonies were serotyped by the Quellung reaction. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). ResultsS. pneumoniae was isolated from 883/1063 NPS collected at 1–23 months of age, including 820 serotypeable (64 different serotypes) and 144 non-serotypeable isolates. At age 23 months, 93.6% (95%CI 86.6–97.6%) of PCV10 recipients and 88.6% (95%CI 80.1–94.4%) of PCV13 recipients were pneumococcal carriers, with higher carriage of PCV10 serotypes by PCV10 recipients (19.8%, 95%CI 12.2–29.5) than PCV13 recipients (9.3%, 95%CI 4.1–17.3) (p = 0.049). There were no other statistically significant differences between PCV10 and PCV13 recipients and children receiving PPV or no PPV. Nearly half (45.6%) of carried pneumococci were non-susceptible to penicillin based on the meningitis breakpoint (MIC ≥ 0.12 µg/mL), but resistance was rare (1.1%) using the non-meningitis cut-off (MIC ≥ 8 µg/mL). Non-susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) was common: 23.2% of isolates showed intermediate resistance (MIC 1/19–2/38 µg/mL) and 16.9% full resistance (MIC ≥ 4/76 µg/mL). PCV serotypes 14 and 19A were commonly non-susceptible to both penicillin (14, 97%; 19A, 70%) and SXT (14, 97%; 19A, 87%). ConclusionEven after PCV10 or PCV13 vaccination, children living in a high-risk setting such as PNG continue to experience high levels of pneumococcal colonization, including carriage of highly antimicrobial-resistant PCV serotypes.The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (CTN NCT01619462).

History matters: societal acceptance of deep-sea mining and incipient conflicts in Papua New Guinea

New marine industries that develop and grow in response to the changing demand for their products have the potential to exert pressure on fragile marine environments. These emerging industries can benefit local communities but equally can have negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts. The development of new and emerging industries, like deep seabed mining (DSM), requires the acceptance and involvement of local communities. Yet, the history of marine exploitation is imbued with conflicts between industries and local communities. This paper presents a DSM case study in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to stimulate debate around the potential for conflict in the pursuit of resource extraction from the deep sea and the social and environmental harm that these extractions can cause. We do so by first presenting a timeline of local and extra-local events and enabling conditions that form the development background for the DSM Solwara 1 project in PNG. We then undertake a media narrative analysis to consider the contribution of aspects of social acceptability to this highly complex and multi-scale conflict. We find that the lack of (or a decrease in) social acceptability contributed to the conflict situation and ultimately the demise of the Solwara 1 project. Extra-locally, the initial development was positively framed around solutions for decarbonisation using new technology. Over time, actions by international NGOs, financial issues related to foreign companies, and asymmetry in the power balance between the Pacific Island nation and global businesses played a role in growing negative perceptions of acceptability. Historical experiences with prior environmental mining disasters, together with sea tenure governance challenges, and a lack of community and stakeholder acceptance also contributed to the demise of the project. Untangling and debating these complex interactions provides context and reasons for the tension between the lack of societal acceptance at a local scale and the perceived need for DSM products in the global North for innovative technologies and decarbonising societies. Better understanding these interactions and tensions can help emerging industries navigate a future blue economy.

‘Decolonising’ Tropical Collections: Cultural Material from Papua New Guinea in Museums

Museums are western institutions that house the remnants of colonisation. They are fraught institutions in which cultural heritage issues arise due to the differences in western and indigenous societies. Most tropical collections were acquired during colonisation through unjust means by government administrators, missionaries, and dealers. In more recent times the ‘decolonisation’ of museums has begun, with developing nations and source communities demanding the repatriation and restitution of their cultural material from museums. This signifies political redress and self-determination from the effects of colonisation on former colonised nations and those that are still experiencing colonial occupation. This paper focuses on the collection and removal of cultural material from Papua New Guinea (PNG) during the colonial era. The paper discusses views among the Papua New Guinean diaspora in Australia on museums and PNG collections, and argues that cultural heritage issues must be addressed before the work of decolonisation can begin. Museums that house Papua New Guinean collections must follow the cultural protocols of the relevant Papua New Guinean source communities. Decolonisation will require an overhaul of the western museum structure and principles, and Papua New Guinean vision, values and voices must be at the forefront of this work.

Assessing socioeconomic impact of pathogen tested and conventional practice sweet potato production in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a major staple food crop in Papua New Guinea (PNG), grown extensively in the high-altitude Highlands as a subsistence food crop by smallholder farmers and it is developing into commercial production for cash income. However, pests and diseases attack remain a major challenge. Most of the PNG farmers do not practice an active pests and diseases management, which has a significant impact on the yield and farmers' income. Few farmers have opted to use cultural practices, though these methods are ineffective and expensive. An alternative intervention technology through Pathogen Tested (PT) seeds as a part of Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) technology was trialed in three different zones in the Highlands of PNG and compared with the Conventional Practice (CP). The study was done using farmer participatory research approach (FPR). Pre-designed structured questionnaires were administered to collect data for yield, costs, income, and farmer's perception. The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) analysis was used to compare the costs, benefits, and net incomes. T-test statistics was used to compare the mean yield. The farmer perception was summarized using descriptive statistics. Results revealed that marketable sweet potato yield was significantly (P < 0.01) improved with implementation of the PT practice compared to the CP. The improvement in storage root yield had subsequent result in the net income doubled for the farmers. The yield and quality of storage roots had significant influence on the farmers' perception towards adoption of the IPDM technology.

Climate change implications for the Arafura and Timor Seas region: assessing vulnerability of marine systems to inform management and conservation

The Arafura and Timor Seas region is shared by Indonesia, Timor Leste, Australia, and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and is at the intersection of the Pacific and Indian oceans. High coastal population densities, degraded habitats, overexploited fisheries, low profile coasts, shallow continental shelves and macro-tidal conditions mean that coastal and marine environments in the region are currently facing multiple pressures. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these pressures and have profound effects on the status and distribution of coastal and marine habitats, the fish and invertebrates they support and, therefore, dependent communities and industries. Downscaled climate change projections for 2041–2070 for air and sea temperature, ocean chemistry and rainfall were modelled to provide spatially relevant regional data for a structured semi-quantitative vulnerability assessment. Results of the assessment were spatially variable and identified shallow coral reefs as highly vulnerable, particularly in the Timor-Leste and Indonesia-Arafura sub-regions. Seagrass meadows were most vulnerable in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Indonesia-Arafura, and Timor-Leste sub-regions. Mangrove habitats were most vulnerable in Timor-Leste and Western PNG sub-regions. Drivers of vulnerability include poor habitat condition, non-climate pressures, low connectivity, and limited formal management. Marine species vulnerability was also spatially variable, with highly vulnerable and priority species identified for each sub-region, including finfish and marine invertebrates. A key driver of species vulnerability was their stock status, with many species in Timor-Leste, Western PNG and Indonesia, and several in northern Australia, overfished or potentially overfished. Limited management in some sub-regions, as well as non-climate pressures such as habitat decline, poor water quality and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing were also key drivers. Species of conservation interest (dugong and marine turtles) were also highly vulnerable to climate change, driven by their threatened status and the fact that they are low productivity species that take years to recover from impacts. Priority species and habitats for local action were identified and current pressures that undermine condition and/or resilience, with strategic recommendations aimed at minimising climate change vulnerability.

TB treatment using family members, treatment supporters and self-administered therapies in rural Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the world's highest TB incidence rates. It is difficult for patients to access TB care in remote provinces due to insufficient infrastructure and challenging terrain, making varied, targeted delivery models for treating TB necessary. To assess treatment outcomes using self-administered treatment (SAT), family-supported treatment and community-based directly observed therapy (DOT) via treatment supporter (TS) in the PNG context. A retrospective, descriptive analysis of routinely collected data from 360 patients at two sites in 2019-2020. All patients were assigned a treatment model based on risk factors (adherence or default) and offered patient education and counselling (PEC), family counselling and transportation fees. End-of-treatment outcomes were assessed for each model. Treatment success rates among drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) were good overall: 91.1% for SAT, 81.4% for family-supported treatment and 77% for DOT patients. SAT was strongly associated with favourable outcomes (OR 5.7, 95% CI 1.7-19.3), as were PEC sessions (OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.5-7.2). By considering risk factors when determining their treatment delivery model, strong outcomes were seen in all three groups. Multiple modes of treatment administration, tailored to individuals' needs and risk factors, is a feasible, effective, patient-centred care model for hard-to-reach, resource-limited settings.