Papua New Guinea is the second largest island in the world. It is inhabited by diverse tribes that depend on nature to provide them with food and medicine. In ecological terms, the island has a rich array of botanical and animal species. Yet, as in the other parts of the world, global industry has started to penetrate remote areas of Papua New Guinea. Many critics believe deforestation, industrial agriculture, mining and other mineral exploitation are major threats to the rich biodiversity in Papua New Guinea.
Photojournalist Michael Eko Hardianto traveled to the island in late 2014 and early 2015 to conduct research along the Bird’s Head Peninsula, specifically the South Sorong Regency in the West Papua province of Indonesia. There, much of the natural biodiversity remains. (By Nicole Crowder)
Michael Eko is a documentary photographer from Jakarta, Indonesia who studied Journalism at Atma Jaya University, Yogyakarta. His work was shown in magazines such as National Geographic Traveler Indonesia, Asian Geographic and South East Asia Globe and he is a founding member of Cephas Photo Forum, a discussion forum about photography in Yogyakarta.