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Subsistence ecology and carrying capacity in two Papua New Guinea populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Ryutaro Ohtsuka
Ryutaro Ohtsuka
Affiliation:
Department of Human Ecology, University of Tokyo, Japan
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Summary

This article examines the mechanisms of subsistence adaptation of two Papua New Guinea populations, the Metroxylon sago-depending lowland Gidra and the taro-monoculture Mountain Ok, surviving in low population densities of 0·5 and 1·4 persons per km2. Observation of the groups' land use systems strongly suggests that their population densities have not been far below the carrying capacity, although the territory of each population is markedly heterogeneous. Both groups have maintained their sustainable food production not only for resource management but also for survival at a population level, either expanding their territory or changing the sustainable level in tandem with changes of subsistence system.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , July 1994 , pp. 395 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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