22/06/2016
The fourth and final NARI, UNSW, Australian Museum and PestNet Biodiversity Capacity Buidling Insect Diagnostics Workshop has now wrapped in Port Moresby at the end of May. The workshop was held at NAQIA HQ and was the largest so far with 37 participants coming from the Port Moresby district and further afield from Kimbe, Alotau, Vanimo and Lae, and one participant Fereti Atumurirava from the Pacific Community, Fiji. Institutions taking part included again NAQIA, NARI, FPDA and PNGFA and for the first time participants were welcomed from PAU, PNG OPRA, CPA and UPNG.
The workshop started out getting into the nuts and bolts of insect morphology, the basic knowledge required to be able to use diagnostic tools to identify insects. This was followed by a field day to collect insects and learn about different insect collecting techniques. The group travelled out to NARI’s Southern Regional Centre at Laloki, Central Province and collected insects in the agricultural fields and gardens and also from Eucalyptus savannah woodland onsite. The remainder of the week was spent practicing curation techniques (pinning and labelling insect specimens) and then identifying these insect collections to Order using the new Key to Insect Orders of PNG created under this project. Presentations and training also covered insect life histories and evolution, identification of larval insect specimens also using the key, insect micro-photography and resources for insect pest identification and pest management in the Pacific presented by Grahame Jackson of PestNet (including Plant Health Clinics in the Pacific). Participants also had the chance to use the PestNet Pacific Pests and Pathogens App on tablet devices that were made available. The app allows pest diagnostics based on crops or symptoms and contains factsheets for many common and important insect pests in PNG.
We thank NAQIA for their support in hosting and officially opening and closing the workshop and Amanda Mararuai and David Tenakanai for their support in the preparations and planning. We also thank special guests Professors Simon Saulei (UPNG), Lohi Matainaho (CEO Research Science and Technology) for their support and for addressing the group. We were also pleased to have media producer and director Megan Taureka-Andrew (Tok Didiman na Meri) along throughout the ween to document the workshop activities for broadcast across local media.
We thank Dr Sim Sar, Clementine Sesega, Benjamin Niangu, drivers Gabriel and Gurugu, Clifton Gwabu and all at NARI Laloki and Kilakila for all their support and organisation during the workshop week