List a short summary of the main Expedition objectives.
In December 2015 an expedition team of 16 cavers will travel to the lands of the Kosua tribe in the remote village of Fogoma'iu in the foothills of Mt. Bosavi, deep in the jungles of the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. The expedition will build on a reconnaissance expedition of 2011, and push further up onto the formidable Darai Plateau, a densely rainforested, uninhabited karst plateau reaching 400 metres above sea level. The Kosuan people have again extended a warm invitation to us for our return expedition. During 3 weeks in the field, with their help, we will find, explore and document caves previously unknown to speleology. The area has demonstrated exciting potential, and we are hopeful that the plateau will yield a large and as yet undiscovered underground drainage system. Caves will be surveyed using modern digital mapping techniques, and finds will be documented through photography and video. In addition we will document the history and traditions of the tribePlease explain the aspects of the trip which make it eligible for Ghar Parau funding.
The expedition has excellent prospects for finding and surveying new cave systems, and so matches well the aims of the GPF. A smaller expedition to the same area in 2011 found 24 new caves and surveyed 6.7km of passage. Numerous leads were left open due to lack of time, and the nearby Darai Plateau, not visited by locals for over a generation, presents even more potential for finding extensive cave systems. We have built good contacts with the local tribe, essential for a successful expedition. Transporting the team and equipment to remote Papua New Guinea involves chartering flights, and so is fairly expensive. Despite significant financial contributions from team members, the expedition will not be possible without the support of bodies like GPF. The team consists of cavers from Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. The findings of the expedition will be disseminated through the expedition report, articles in relevant publications, and talks at caving conferences.Give a more detailed account of the purpose of the trip, including any particular known caves you intend to visit, specific areas where you will explore for new cave, and scientific experiments you will attempt.
The primary objective of the expedition is the exploration of the Darai Plateau with the aim of discovering and exploring new cave systems. The plateau extends for at least 100 km in a southeasterly direction from Mt. Bosavi. It encompasses an area of well over 3000 square kilometres and aerial surveys show hundreds of sinkholes on the plateau, with immense potential for uncharted cave systems. The area is also part of the wider Kikori river basin which is on the tentative list for UENSCO World Heritage status. Any published material from our expedition will help contribute towards achieving world heritage status.Give details of any previous work in this area by your own and other teams. Include references to reports and articles published on the area, and the names of any local cavers or academics with whom you have discussed the Expedition.
The definitive work on cave exploration in Papua New Guinea is "Beneath the cloud forests" by Howard M Beck (2002). This book charts the history of cave exploration in Papua New Guinea between 1962 and 1998, with a brief mention of further trips in the postscript. The majority of the expeditions described in the book were to New Britain, including the 1998 French exploration of Muruk Hul, the first cave deeper than 1000m in the Southern Hemisphere. On the mainland of PNG the most successful expeditions were to the Muller range of mountains in the Southern Highlands, where Australian teams explored multiple caves with very extensive development. The longest of these is the 54,800 m long Mamo Kananda. Only one expedition mentioned in the book looked at the Darai Plateau and explored the Darai doline. They describe overland travel as very difficult. The doline itself has a volume of over 150 million cubic metres, but the bottom did not lead to a cave system.Travel plans: |
# from UK: | 7 | Travel costs breakdown (for personnel leaving from the UK): |
Total costs from UK: | £12,852 | Flight to Brisbane: £940 per person Flight Brisbane to Mount Hagen: £470 per person Outbound charter flights: £255 per person (2 flights x £2040=£4080 for 16 people. 8800 PGK per flight) Return charter flight: £127.50 per person (1 flights x £2040 for 16 people. 8800 PGK per flight) Road transport Mt Hagen to Mendi (return): £43.5 per person (3000 PGK = £696 for 16 people) Total: £1836 per person |
# from outside UK: | 9 | Travel costs breakdown (for personnel leaving from the UK): |
Total costs from outside UK: | £17,064 | Since other expedition members are traveling from Ireland, Germany and USA, the travel costs are very similar. Flight to Brisbane: £1000 per person Flight Brisbane to Mount Hagen: £470 per person Outbound charter flights: £255 per person (2 flights x £2040=£4080 for 16 people. 8800 PGK per flight) Return charter flight: £127.50 per person (1 flights x £2040 for 16 people. 8800 PGK per flight) Road transport Mt Hagen to Mendi (return): £22 per person (1500 PGK = £348 for 16 people) Total: £1896 per person |
Travel total: | £29,916 | Travel p.p. from UK: | £1,836 |
Travel p.p. from outside UK: | £1,896 |
Total: | £3,708 | Comments: |
Subsistence p.p.: | £232 | Costs for food and accommodation are based on costs from the 2011 expedition, scaled up for the increased size of the expedition and inflation. Accomodation Mount Hendi (out): (300 PGK/room of 4 = 1200 PGK) = £278 Accomodation Mount Hendi (return): (300 PGK/room of 4 = 1200 PGK) = £278 Accomodation Mendi (out): (300 PGK/room of 4 = 1200 PGK) = £278 Accomodation Mendi (return): (300 PGK/room of 4 = 1200 PGK) = £278 House rental Fogo 16 people x 21 days 3000PGK = £696 Food purchases |
Total: | £1,532 | Comments: |
Gear p.p.: | £96 | Cooking kit, canvas, string, soap, etc. £200 First Aid/Medical supplies £200 Generator £150 Petrol £50 Rope 400 m x £1.30/m £520 Crobar Obligatory £10 Survey kit (e.g. notebooks - most to be borrowed) £40 Local simcards+credit (x2) £50 Satellite phone (hire+call credit) 2x voice + 1xcredit €450 = £312 |
Total: | £2,090 | Comments: |
Special 1 p.p.: | £131 | Local guide costs 6000PGK = £1392 Donation to village (gifts, school/medical kit) £350 Cave access fees 1500PGK £348 |
Total: | £4,049 | Comments: |
Special 2 p.p.: | £253 | We are employing Paul O'Dowd as a guide, translator and fixer. Cost = AUD$350/day x 21 days = £3477 + £572 travel/subsistence costs (travelling from Cairns) |
Exped Total: | £41,295 | Exped cost p.p. travelling from UK: | £2,547 |
Exped cost p.p. travelling from outside UK: | £2,607 | ||
Mean Exped cost per person: | £2,580 |
Total: | £18,000 | Comments: |
National Geographic Global Exploration Fund €20,000 (applied for. Have passed first round - decision pending) NB, if we received this we would have to use a large amount of the award to hire additional photographers/film makers. Transglobe expedition trust - applied for £2000 Speleological Union Ireland - applied for support. Received approx £2000 in 2011. Note - no funding is yet secured! Team members will also fundraise by e.g. organising public lectures on caving expeditions, holding a fundra |
Total shortfall: | £23,295 | Mean shortfall per person: | £1,455 |
Please give the names, addresses and phone numbers of two suitably qualified people whom the Committee can contact. You should ensure that they are aware of the objectives of your trip, and that you have their permission for the Committee to contact them.
Reason: Tim visited PNG while filming with the BBC's "Lost Land of the Volcano" TV program. He visited the same area the expedition visited, and noted the excellent speleological potential of the area. He has experience of working and living with the Kosuan
Reason: Tony is a very experienced expedition caver having caved all over the world. He knows many of the expedition members personally.