FIELD TRIP WITH PATRICK BLANC IN SOUTHWEST PAPUA - MALAGUFUK LOWLAND RAINFOREST

Filmed and produced by Pascal Héni - Paspat 2026 We follow PatrIck Blanc in Soutwest Papua, the westernmost part of New Guinea, still mostly covered by untouched primary lowland and hilly forests. The Malagufuk Ecovillage (Sorong Regency) is surrounded by large areas of freshwater swamp forest very well diversified and harboring all the biological types of plants : big trees, smaller trees, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs and many herbaceous species. Most families are present and we notice many species among Piperaceae, Rubiaceae, Annonaceae, Araliaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Araceae, Palms, Orchids, Gingers, Pandans, many Fern families… Some outstanding species like the almost black leaved Leea zippeliana, difficult to detect just above the leaf litter. We clearly understand why New Guinea is considered as a Hotspot of Biodiversity. Nous suivons Patrick Blanc à l’extrême ouest de la Nouvelle Guinée, recouverte en grande partie de forêts primaires de basse altitude très bien préservées. L’écovillage de Malagufuk est entouré de très riches forêts marécageuses d’eau douce mais aussi de forêts sur sol drainé et reliefs collinaires. On y rencontre tous les types biologiques, depuis les grands arbres jusqu’aux lianes, épiphytes, arbustes et plantes herbacées. De nombreuses espèces parmi les Piperacées, Rubiacées, Annonacées, Araliacées, Euphorbiacées, Aracées, Zingibéracées, Palmiers, Orchidées, Pandanacées ainsi que de nombreuses familles de Fougères. Beaucoup d’espèces étonnantes comme ce Leea zippeliana aux feuilles presque noires difficiles à détecter au milieu des feuilles mortes jonchant le sol forestier. On comprend aisément que la Nouvelle Guinée soit considérée comme un Hotspot de la Biodiversité. We thank the residents of the Malagufuk Ecovillage for their warm welcome and especially our guides Christian, Nomensen and Monndo. Thanks to Gemma Bramley, Hannah Atkins and Abdulrokhman Kartonegoro for the discussions about the Cyrtandra that they identified as belonging to sect. Centrosiphon and more precisely close (or identical) to Cyrtandra suberosa, this group of species being currently under revision. Thanks to Osia Gideon for the identification of Tapeinochilos beccarii, André Schuiteman for Bulbophyllum clandestinum, Michele Rodda for Hoya coronaria and Tim Utteridge for the Endospermum. Plant list : Aglaonema marantifolium (Araceae), Alocasia brancifolia (Araceae), Alpinia domatifera (Zingiberaceae), Alpinia sp. (Zingiberaceae), Alsophila sp. (Cyatheaceae), Arenga pinnata (Arecaceae), Begonia sp. sect. Petermannia (Begoniaceae), Bulbophyllum clandestinum (Orchidaceae), Capitularina involucrata (Cyperaceae), Caryota rumphiana (Arecaceae), Clerodendrum longiflorum (Lamiaceae), Coelogyne sp. (Orchidaceae), Crepidium sp. (Orchidaceae), Cynometra plurijuga (Fabaceae), Cyrtandra cf. suberosa (Gesneriaceae), Dillenia alata (Dilleniaceae), Endospermum cf. moluccanum (Euphorbiaceae), Epipremnum amplissimum (Araceae), Ficus jimiensis (Moraceae), Freycinetia cf. marginata (Pandanaceae), Freycinetia marantifolia (Pandanaceae), Freycinetia sp. (Pandanaceae), Geitonoplesium cymosum (Asphodelaceae), Hanguana sp. (Hanguanaceae), Hellenia speciosa (Costaceae), Horsfieldia sp. (Myristicaceae), Hoya coronaria (Apocynaceae), Hydnophytum sp. (Rubiaceae), Korthalsia zippelii (Arecaceae), Leea zippeliana (Vitaceae), Leucosyke capitellata (Urticaceae), Licuala cf. penduliflora (Arecaceae), Licuala sp. (Arecaceae), Macaranga cf. reiteriana (Euphorbiaceae), Melastoma sp. (Melastomataceae), Memecylon cf. garcinioides (Melastomataceae), Mitragyna speciosa (Rubiaceae), Mussaenda sp. (Rubiaceae), Nageia wallichiana (Podocarpaceae), Osmoxylon novoguineense (Araliaceae), Pandanus krauelianus (Pandanaceae), Pandanus sp. (Pandanaceae), Phrynium macrocephalum (Marantaceae), Piper cf. decumanum (Piperaceae), Piper decumanum (Piperaceae), Piper lessertianum (Piperaceae), Piper sp. (Piperaceae), Podocarpus neriifolius (Podocarpaceae), Polyscias nodosa (Araliaceae), Pseuduvaria cf. clemensiae (Annonaceae), Psychotria sp. (Rubiaceae), Ptychococcus paradoxus (Arecaceae), Rhaphidophora hayi (Araceae), Rhaphidophora korthalsii (Araceae), Rhaphidophora stenophylla (Araceae), Rhaphidophora versteegii (Araceae), Rubiaceae sp., Saurauia sp. (Actinidiaceae), Scindapsus altissimus (Araceae), Sommieria leucophylla (Arecaceae), Tabernaemontana aurantiaca (Apocynaceae), Tapeinochilos beccarii (Costaceae), Teratophyllum articulatum (Polypodiaceae)