This chapter discusses the major theoretical emphases of the book: political ecology, resilience, place, and ontology. It also explores the ecological context of PNG, one of five high-biodiversity wilderness areas designated by Conservation International, which is experiencing a massive resource development boom that threatens the very biodiversity that the country is renowned for. This is largely due to the low levels of human development in PNG, which are on par with most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The chapter concludes with an ethnographic and ecological description of Porgera.