Papua New Guinea, as a Pacific Island state, faces ongoing challenges from disasters and hazards, including climate change, natural disasters, rising sea levels, and extreme weather patterns. These events affect communities, infrastructure, businesses, and social services. This case study examines the responsibilities and shortcomings of stakeholder involvement in policy and management frameworks for preventive conservation to protect cultural heritage during disasters and hazardous situations in Papua New Guinea. The study also briefly assesses the potential effects of disasters and hazardous situations on heritage collections in Papua New Guinea. The discussion of cultural heritage collections at the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery focuses only on museum collections. A brief examination of the East New Britain Cultural and Historical Centre (Kokopo Museum) provides additional perspectives on cultural centers in the country. This study identified two main findings: first, the lack of policy and management frameworks for disaster and hazard risk mitigation concerning cultural heritage in Papua New Guinea; second, the significant risks resulting from inadequate collection care and management, including insufficient preventive conservation practices and failure to address risks from disasters and hazardous situations. The absence of appropriate policy and management frameworks for disaster and hazard risk management has led to poor decision-making about the security of heritage collections and the welfare of those responsible for the collections in Papua New Guinea during disasters and hazardous events.

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Betel chewing with tobacco is widely practiced in Palau and poses serious health risks, including oral diseases and cancer. Although global tobacco use is declining, the practice of chewing betel quid mixed with tobacco remains culturally embedded, highlighting a gap between global health trends and local practices. Research on this behavior in the Pacific Islands is limited, despite its social and cultural significance. This study aimed to clarify how cultural norms, social practices, and health perceptions shape betel chewing with tobacco in Palau, focusing on usage patterns, perceived benefits, and public health implications. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with chewers across generations, alongside key informant interviews. The findings showed that betel chewing typically begins in early adolescence (approximately 14 years of age) because of family influence. Although temporary interruptions may occur during pregnancy or illness, resumption is common. Betel nuts mixed with tobacco are more common than betel nuts alone, and cultural norms, such as social bonding and stress relief, shape their use. Participants perceived benefits, such as increased alertness, energy, and focus, despite health risks. Many wished to quit; however, social and cultural influences often outweighed their health concerns. These results highlight Palau as a rare case in which culturally supported chewing of betel with tobacco was qualitatively and quantitatively documented, offering insights for public health interventions. The findings suggest that effective interventions require not only health education but also culturally sensitive socially grounded approaches that respect traditional practices while addressing health harms.

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Kita Iwo-to is an unpopulated, remote part of the Volcano Islands, located approximately 650 km north of the Mariana Islands. In 1993, an excavation survey was conducted at the Ishino archaeological site in Kita Iwo-to. Although numerous pottery sherds were collected, an official survey report published in 2005 evaluated them as locally made pottery unique to the island, which appears inconsistent with the pottery chronology of nearby regions. This evaluation may be limited, as pottery studies of the Mariana Islands conducted after the 1980s were not considered, and since the Ishino site pottery was dated to 1855 BP, comparison with contemporaneous pottery from the Mariana Islands is necessary. In this study the information reported from the site was analyzed and the pottery collection stored in Tokyo was briefly inspected. Based on the attributes of pottery (vessel forms, rim form/stance, admixture of extremely thick and thin sherds, large temper/inclusions, mat impressions, and low occurrence of red slip), and Dickinson’s temper analysis, the Ishino site pottery appears to be locally made flat-bottomed vessels originating in the Mariana Islands, dating approximately to 500 BCE–500 CE, possibly 100–500 CE. It is estimated that Austronesian people voyaged from the Mariana Islands to Kita Iwo-to, although their purpose remains unknown.

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