SUBSISTENCE ECOLOGY AND CARRYING-CAPACITY IN 2 PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA POPULATIONS

This article examines the mechanisms of subsistence adaptation of two Papua New Guinea populations, the Metroxylon sago-depending lowland Gi dra and the taro-monoculture Mountain Ok, surviving in low population densities of 0.5 and 1.4 persons per km2. Observation of the groups' l and use systems strongly suggests that their population densities have not been far below the carrying capacity, although the territory of e ach 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 terri tory or changing the sustainable level in tandem with changes of subsi stence system.