Lamo Auru Caldera

New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Ancestral land of the Nakanai community of Biakakea and central to their cultural identity

Home of the Lamo Auru Community Conservation Area

A 13 km wide extinct volcano crater

With dense tropical rainforest from rim to basin

A stunning 930 hectre crater lake

The steep volcanic walls create ecological isolation, perfect conditions for undiscovered biodiversity

- Yet the forest remains largely unstudied by modern science

HELP US PROTECT IT

Friends Of Lamo Auru is a Community Interest Company established in partnership with the Nakanai community of Baikakea to preserve their ancestral land - the Lamo Auru Caldera, through globally important rainforest conservation.

Aerial view of a turquoise river in the Lamo Auru Caldera from above surrounded by green moss and foliage on rocky cliffs.

A toucan with an orange neck and black body perched on a wooden branch in a lush, tropical forest in the Lamo Auru Caldera

Indigenous Knowledge, Conservation Science and Expedition Film Production

nature, texture, iceland, moody, photography, otherworldly iceland, underground, underworld, otherwordly, woodland,

A man with a tan headband, bearded and wearing a dark shirt decorated with green ferns in the dense Lamo Auru jungle.

Stepping into the Lamo Auru Caldera, like entering any tropical rainforest, is to surrender to total sensory immersion.

Friends Of Lamo Auru - The Forest & The Threat

Man cooking over an open fire inside a rustic wooden shelter with food packages in the foreground.

A man writing on a wooden boat with charcoal that says "LAMO-AURU".

Biodiversity Hotspot

sand texture

A man on a wooden raft on the blue lake, with another person on a canoe in the distance and mountains in the background.

Lamo Auru remains one of the most mysterious and under-studied ecosystems on Earth.

Close-up of a brown and black salamander in the damp, leafy Lamo Auru forest.

Close-up of a colorful butterfly with green, black, and red wings resting on a green leaf in the lush Lamo Auru forest.

A brown frog with large black eyes perched on a dark branch at night in the Lamo Auru Forest.

Limited research has revealed a biodiversity hotspot with abundant flora and fauna, yet it’s largely biologically uncharted

A person walking through dense, lush green Lamo Auru jungle.

A smiling man in a dark shirt with yellow and red accents, wearing a hat, standing in the lush green Lamo Auru forest.

A young girl with short, styled hair, wearing a green t-shirt and a red plaid backpack, is in a dense green Lamo Auru jungle, holding a long stick and looking to her left with a smile.

It takes a community to protect it

A man with dark skin, short curly hair, and a beard, wearing a red shirt and an orange glove, standing in a lush green jungle.

A man is surrounded by a group of smiling children in a tropical outdoor setting, engaging in conversation.

A group of people, including children and adults, outdoors in the lush, green Lamo Auru Forest with trees, smiling for a photo.

Lamo Auru Caldera, a lush green forest leading to a lake with a mountain in the background, topped with clouds.

Two women hold onto a rope and climb out of a lush, green cave.

The Nakanai community need our help to amplify their voices to protect their forest from illegal logging

The Immediate Threat

A man in a green cap and colorful shirt touches a glowing red, moss-covered tree trunk in the dense green Lamo Auru rainforest.

A Nakani Elder man with a blue shirt and colorful vest stands next to an illegally felled tree in a the Lamo Auru forest, with a concerned expression and a backpack.

Satelite imagery showed illegal logging inside the Caldera. Waldo Etherington returned in early 2026 and documented the gravel roads carved into primary forest. The Nakani community’s worst fears have been realised.

An illegal logging dirt road running through the Lamo Auru forest with tall trees on both sides, under a partly cloudy sky.

Group of people sat devasated on an illegal logging dirt road running through the Lamo Auru forest with tall trees on both sides, showing the scale of the destruction.

Our Mission

To use our skills as filmmakers, expedition leaders and scientists to support the Lamo Auru Conservation Area and the Nakanai people in their fight against illegal logging of the Lamo Auru Caldera.

The Future of our globally important forests depends on the success of local communities leading long-term conservation projects.

Group of eight men standing on an illegal logging road surrounded by trees, some holding backpacks and water bottles, one man is holding a machete, visibly upset by the destruction

Four people standing outdoors among lush green plants, engaging in a handshake, smiling, in a West New Britain.

A group of hikers in a lush green rainforest, with two men in the front high-fiving each other. The man on the left wears a black shirt and the man on the right wears a yellow shirt and a cap, both carrying backpacks.