ABSTRACT
A 'bogeyman' is an imaginary creature used to evoke fear and anxiety. The question addressed here arises from a recent claim by Shearman et al, that shifting cultivation is a real threat to Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s forests, and hence to global warming. The chapter examines about PNG shifting cultivation systems since the 1920s, and provides some broad background information about the importance of shifting cultivation to the economy and society in these countries. PNG was colonized by Germany, Great Britain and Australia. Agriculture has a very long history in PNG. Paleo-botanical and archeological research has established that in highland locations forest began to be cleared, probably for agriculture, around 10,000 years ago, and certainly by 7000 years ago. Shearman described the frustrations of his search for a baseline and his conclusion that the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) forest-resources map and the Forest Inventory Mapping System (FIMS) were not accurate enough to use as a baseline.
