Lake Kutubu. 22/09/98; Southern Highlands; 4,924 ha; 06°25'S 143°20'E. Wildlife Management Area. The second largest lake in PNG. A freshwater lake in limestone karst country in PNG's remote and isolated Southern Highlands at 800m above sea level, the site includes approximately 1,000 hectares of swamp forest. The lake's extraordinary level of endemicity (10 of the 14 fish species found there are endemic to the lake itself) exceeds that of any other lake in the entire New Guinea-Australian region. The development of oil and gas in the region has increased access with the development of road links and regular flights. The villages around the lake rely principally upon sago subsistence agriculture. Probably the first Ramsar site to be listed in the Wetland Type added to the Ramsar Classification System by Resolution VI.5 (1996) on subterranean karst wetlands. Ramsar site no. 961. Most recent RIS information: 1997.

Southern Highlands Province