Because the forests of New Guinea have few food plants, early humans may have used "selective burning" to increase the productivity of the wild karuka fruit trees to support the hunter-gatherer way of life.
bɪkˈʌz ðə fˈɔːɹɪsts ʌv nˈuː ɡˈɪni hæv fjˈuː fˈuːd plˈænts, ˈɜːli hjˈuːmənz mˌeɪhɐv jˈuːzd "sᵻlˈɛktɪv bˈɜːnɪŋ" tʊ ɪŋkɹˈiːs ðə pɹˌɑːdəktˈɪvᵻɾi ʌvðə wˈaɪld kˈɑːɹɹuːkə fɹˈuːt tɹˈiːz tə səpˈoːɹt ðə hˈʌntɚɡˈæðɚɹɚ wˈeɪ ʌv lˈaɪf.