'Tok stori' with Junior Novera (PhD candidate), Part 1

In this 'Tok stori' (Part 1) we have a chat to Junior Novera from Bougainville Island (Autonomous Region of Bougainville). Junior started his career as a field biologist accompanied by stints with Wildlife Conservation Society (Papua New Guinea), and Papua New Guinea Institute of Biological Research (PNGIBR). He went on to do a PhD at the University of Queensland, Australia. His study was on understanding hunting pressures on endemic mammals of Bougainville. An aim of this study is to conserve and better manage the endemic and threatened species in this Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). The focus of Junior Novera’s conservation efforts now centres on Kunua, on the west coast of Bougainville. Kunua is one of the last swaths of unbroken forest extending from ridge to coastal forests. The montane forests in this insular landscape rise above 2000m and are habitat for many species some new to science. The lowlands have some of the most extensive swamp land areas of Bougainville Island. The site harbours all of the endemic mammals and vertebrates of Bougainville, including the Bougainville giant rat, and monkey face bats.