New swallowtail butterfly species discovery in Fiji

The large swallowtail butterfly, now named Papilio natewa, was first photographed in 2017 by Australian ornithologist Greg Kerr, working with Operation Wallacea.

From the University of Oxford in England:

New species of Swallowtail butterfly discovered in Fiji

October 30, 2018

A spectacular new butterfly species has been discovered on the Pacific Island of Vanua Levu in Fiji. The species, named last week as Papilio natewa after the Natewa Peninsula where it was found, is a remarkable discovery in a location where butterfly wildlife was thought to be well known.

The large Swallowtail was first photographed in 2017 by Australian ornithologist Greg Kerr, working with Operation Wallacea, an international organisation which supports school students in science projects.

Specialists around the world were puzzled when Kerr’s photograph was sent for identification. It was not until earlier this year, during a second fieldtrip to Fiji, that it was confirmed as a species new to science by John Tennent, Honorary Associate at Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and Scientific Associate of the Natural History Museum, London.

“For such an unusual and large new butterfly to be discovered somewhere we thought was so well known is remarkable”, said John Tennant, who is a Pacific butterfly specialist. The species was named by Tennant and colleagues in Fiji and Australia in a paper published this month in Entomologischer Verein Apollo.

Tennant has spent long periods in the Pacific, including the Solomon Islands and eastern Papua New Guinea and has found and named over a hundred new species and subspecies of butterflies in the last 25 years. But he describes the new Natewa Swallowtail as “easily the most spectacular.” The find is especially remarkable because there are only two Swallowtail butterfly species previously known from this part of the Pacific, and only one from Fiji.

“Because they are large, conspicuous and often beautiful in appearance, Swallowtail butterflies have been intensively studied for over 150 years”, says James Hogan, manager of butterfly (Lepidoptera) collections at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

“To find a new species like this, not only in a small and reasonably well-studied area like Fiji, but also one which looks unlike any other Swallowtail is truly exceptional. For John Tennent, Greg Kerr and the rest of the team this really is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.”

The Natewa Swallowtail has remained undiscovered for so long perhaps due to its habits and the geological history of the islands. Unusually for a Swallowtail, it seems to be a true forest species, spending most of its life inside the forest at elevations above 250 metres, on land with restrict access rights.

“It does make you wonder what else awaits discovery in the world’s wild places. The key to finding new and interesting things is simply to go and look”, adds Tennant.

Forest conservation helps coral reefs

This video says about itself:

Video highlights of diving on Rainbow Reef in the Somosomo Strait, West of Taveuni in Fiji. July 2017.

Change your [YouTube video] settings to HD!!

From the Wildlife Conservation Society:

How forest conservation helps coral reefs

August 28, 2018

Researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), and other groups are discovering how forest conservation in Fiji can minimize the impact of human activities on coral reefs and their fish populations.

Specifically, authors of a newly published study in the journal Scientific Reports have used innovative modeling tools to identify specific locations on the land where conservation actions would yield the highest benefits for downstream reefs in terms of mitigating harm to coral communities and associated reef fish populations.

The authors of the study titled “Scenario Planning with Linked Land-Sea Models Inform Where Forest Conservation Actions Will Promote Coral Reef Resilience” are: Jade M. S. Delevaux, Stacy D. Jupiter, Kostantinos A. Stamoulis, Leah L. Bremer, Amelia S. Wenger, Rachel Dacks, Peter Garrod, Kim A. Falinski, and Tamara Ticktin.

The researchers of the study focused on Fiji’s Kubulau District, where indigenous landowners are already taking action to manage their resources through a ridge-to-reef management plan.

Human activities on land often have cascading effects for marine ecosystems, and human-related impacts on Fiji are threatening more than 25 percent of the total global reef area. Expansion of commercial agriculture, logging, mining, and coastal development can harm coral reefs and their associated fisheries through increases in sediment and nutrient runoff. Consequent reef degradation directly affects food security, human wellbeing, and cultural practices in tropical island communities around the world.

To determine where management and conservation efforts would be most impactful, the researchers built a fine-scale, linked land and sea model that integrates existing land-use with coral reef condition and fish biomass. The team then simulated various future land-use and climate change scenarios to pinpoint areas in key watersheds where conservation would provide the most benefit to downstream coral reef systems. In every simulated scenario, coral reef impacts were minimized when native forest was protected or restored.

“The results of this study can be used by the village chiefs and the resource management committee in Kubulau to provide a geographic focus to their management actions”, said Dr. Sangeeta Mangubhai, Director of the WCS Fiji Country Program.

The methods also have applications far beyond Kubulau, particularly as many indigenous island communities are mobilizing to revitalize customary ridge to reef management systems and governments are becoming more interested in applying an integrated land-sea planning approach.

Dr. Jade Delevaux of the University of Hawai’i and lead author of the study said: “This novel tool relies on two freely available software packages and can be used in open access geographic information systems (GIS). As more and more remote sensing and bathymetry data become freely available to serve as data inputs, the model can serve even very data-poor regions around the world to allow for better management of linked land and sea areas.”

The model thus provides a platform for evidence-based decision making for ridge to reef management and lends confidence that directed terrestrial conservation actions can bolster reef resilience by minimizing damage from land-based runoff.

Dr. Stacy Jupiter, WCS Melanesia Regional Program Director, added: “The results provide hope because they demonstrate that resilience of coral reefs to global change can be promoted through local actions, thereby empowering local people to become better stewards over their resources.”

Even after being severely damaged by blast fishing and coral mining, coral reefs can be rehabilitated over large scales using a relatively inexpensive technique, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis, in partnership with Mars Symbioscience: here.

Choosing a place to call home is one of the most consequential choices a coral can make. In the animal’s larval stage, it floats freely in the ocean — but once it settles down, it anchors itself permanently to the rocky substrate of a reef, and remains stuck there for the rest of its life. Exactly how these larvae choose a specific place to live, however, is largely unclear. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is starting to unravel that mystery. Researchers found that the soundscape of a reef — the combined sounds of all animals living nearby — might play a major role in steering corals towards healthy reef systems and away from damaged ones. The study was published Dec. 12, 2018, in the journal Royal Society Open Science: here.

Sea cucumbers, essential for ecosystems

This video says about itself:

Seeking shelter up a sea cucumber’s bottom – World’s Weirdest Events: Episode 5 – BBC Two

The oceans are a hostile place, and you’re going to need some good shelter if you want to survive. The pearl fish has found a rather inventive way to keep away from predators…by hiding up a sea cucumber‘s bottom.

From the Wildlife Conservation Society:

Study in Fiji finds that removing sea cucumbers spells trouble for shallow coastal waters

June 5, 2018

Summary: The sea cucumber’s unimpressive appearance belies the outsized role these creatures play in converting decomposing organic matter into recyclable nutrients and keeping coastal ecosystems healthy and clean, and overfishing them can have negative impacts on coastal marine environments, according to a new study focusing on a species of sea cucumber called a sandfish.

The lowly sea cucumber strikes observers as a simple sausage-like creature, one that is far less interesting than brightly colored reef fish or color-changing octopi that share its coastal habitat.

The sea cucumber’s unimpressive appearance belies the outsized role these creatures play in converting decomposing organic matter into recyclable nutrients and keeping coastal ecosystems healthy and clean, and overfishing them can have negative impacts on coastal marine environments, according to a new study focusing on a species of sea cucumber called a sandfish in the journal PeerJ.

The authors of the study titled “Effects of sandfish (Holothuria scabra) removal on shallow-water sediments” are: Steven Lee of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research and the University of Bremen; Amanda K. Ford of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research and the University of Bremen; Sangeeta Mangubhai of WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society); Christian Wild of the University of Bremen; and Sebastian C.A. Ferse of Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research and the University of Bremen.

In a sense, sea cucumbers are the vacuum cleaners of coastal marine environments. Since these invertebrates are also the target of a growing demand from Asian markets — dried sea cucumbers are known as “bêche-de-mer” — the authors of the study sought to examine the ecological implications of removing them from tropical coastal areas.

“Our study was designed to determine exactly how the removal of these organisms is impacting coastal ecosystems, which in this case was a coral reef flat in Fiji“, said lead author Steven Lee.

The experiment focused on a specific species of sea cucumber known as the sandfish (Holothuria scabra), and was conducted along a wide reef flat along the coast of Vanua Levu, Fiji for several months between September 2015 and February 2016. After conducting a standard survey of the site in order to determine the density of sandfish on the sea bottom, the researchers created 16 square plots with four “treatments” containing different densities of sea cucumbers, all of which were designed to ascertain the implications of harvesting, and overharvesting, sea cucumbers from the reef.

The research team found that, in plots with high densities of sea cucumbers, oxygen conditions within the sediment stayed relatively stable, even under elevated sea surface temperatures experienced during the 2015/2016 El Niño event. In plots where all sea cucumbers had been removed, the penetration of oxygen into surface sediments decreased substantially, by 63 percent.

Overall, the researchers found that a reef’s ability to handle increases in organic matter inputs from rainfall and flooding inland was diminished by the removal of sea cucumbers.

“Our findings suggest that overharvesting of sandfish and other sea cucumber species could have lasting effects on the marine ecosystems of small Pacific islands such as those in Fiji, resulting in changes that could limit the productivity of shallow water ecosystems”, said Dr. Sangeeta Mangubhai, Director of WCS’s Fiji Program. “Hopefully these results will help inform management decisions that will conserve moderate to high densities of sea cucumbers and protect these ecosystems in the interest of safeguarding coastal livelihoods and food security.”

“Sea cucumbers are an important source of livelihood for many tropical coastal communities and are heavily fished throughout the tropical belt, but so far we didn’t have a good understanding of the wider ecological implications of harvesting them” said Dr. Sebastian Ferse of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, who collaborated with WCS in conducting this study as part of a project that looks into the social and ecological resilience of coral reefs in the South Pacific. “The results of this study fill an important knowledge gap and are timely for the management of an important resource for coastal communities.”

This work was supported by: the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT); WCS; University of Bremen; the University of the South Pacific; and the residents of Natuvu village who permitted the study within their traditional fishing ground.

2018 has been designated by the International Coral Reef Initiative as the third International Year of the Reef. This is a great opportunity to come together to strengthen awareness on the plight of coral reefs, to step up and initiate conservation efforts.

Pacific island Vatuvara wildlife survey

This 2017 video from Fiji is called Vatuvara Private Islands.

From BirdLife:

22 Nov 2017

Exploring the untouched island of Vatuvara

This is the first time a full biological survey has ever been performed on this remote, almost untouched island in the South Pacific. The intriguing and fascinating results have redoubled the Vatuvara Foundation’s efforts to safeguard this lush wildlife haven.

By Steve Cranwell

The island of Vatuvara perfectly embodies the intrigue and beauty of the South Pacific islands. Located in the north of Fiji’s Lau group, the 800-hectare island has been uninhabited for most of human history. This is due in part to the absence of a permanent water source – but the sharp, unforgiving coral terrain certainly doesn’t help.

For a time, the island hosted a fortified village atop the 300-metre summit – no doubt a strategic lookout point for Fijian warriors. But apart from a desperate attempt at coconut production during Fiji’s plantation era, Vatuvara has largely been spared the impacts of human influence. And that includes many invasive species common on other South Pacific islands – making Vatuvara an invaluable refuge for wildlife.

Despite the detailed knowledge of the indigenous Fijians, practically the only formal scientific account of the island comes from the remarkable Whitney Expeditions, which visited Fiji in 1924, identifying the endemic Fiji Banded Iguana Brachylophus fasciatus among other native flora and fauna species.

Now under the care of Vatuvara Private Islands, the island is protected as a nature reserve. In November, BirdLife International Pacific, together with NatureFiji-MareqetiViti (BirdLife in Fiji) and the US Geological Survey, joined the Vatuvara Foundation to conduct a pioneering four-day survey.

The survey initially focused on the island’s reptiles, in particular the Banded Iguana – currently threatened with extinction – and a snake, the Pacific Boa Candoia bibroni. During the night, several sleeping reptiles were stealthily extracted from the branches above for identification.

Coconut crabs Birgus latro proved to be a very visible part of the island fauna. Although active throughout the day, it was at night that the forest came alive to a slow, deliberate dance as the world’s largest arthropods (weighing up to 4kg and a metre from leg to leg) shuffled about the forest floor, or climbed trees and vertical rock faces in search of sustenance. Once common throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, these unique, long lived terrestrial crabs, who can survive for 40-60 years, are under threat. Considered a local delicacy, crab populations are now increasingly confined to remote inaccessible islands or locally protected areas.

Vatuvara is an island for birds. Dawn and dusk resounded to a cacophony of calls as the Wattled Honeyeater Foulehaio carunculatus, along with the 20 other species we identified, made their presence known. Almost all were forest birds, a validation of the quality of Vatuvara’s forest. A particularly encouraging sighting was the Shy Ground Dove Alopecoenas stairi, threatened with extinction elsewhere due to introduced predators such as feral cats and rats.

In terms of invasive species, no evidence of cats, pigs, goats, Black rats Rattus rattus, mongoose, invasive ants or any of Fiji’s usual suspects could be found. However, the Pacific rat Rattus exulans was present. This non-native rat predates small birds and their eggs, as well as many of Fiji’s invertebrates and fauna.

All good surveys pose as many questions as they answer, and something of a surprise for Vatuvara was the notable absence of seabirds, generating numerous hypotheses, including what influence Coconut Crabs may pose. Ornithologist Vilikesa Masibalavu also noted an unusual phenomenon among the Island’s Fiji Whistlers Pachycephala vitiensis. They weren’t hard to find – but they were strangely silent, and not a single male could be found.

While much still remains to be discovered on Vatuvara, the survey highlighted the Island’s vital importance to Fiji’s natural history. It was found to hold a wealth of diverse native plants and wildlife increasingly under threat on other islands. Future work will build on this baseline, tracking trends in birds, coconut crabs and reptiles and ensuring harmful invasive species don’t establish. In protecting the island, the Vatuvara Foundation have made a visionary commitment to safeguarding a crucial haven for Fiji’s wildlife.

Fijian ants as agriculturists

This video says about itself:

27 November 2016

Scientists on the island of Fiji have discovered a type of ant that plants, fertilizes & guards its own coffee crops. The ant, known as “Phildris nagasau” has been perfecting this practice for millions of years. The ants reportedly don’t just harvest the nectar from the plants, they also use the coffee plants as a place to live. According to the scientists, this is the first ant to build its own home. In an experiment, researchers discovered that the ants plant six different types of coffee plant in the bark of jungle trees.

From Nature:

Obligate plant farming by a specialized ant

Guillaume Chomicki & Susanne S. Renner

21 November 2016

Abstract

Many epiphytic plants have associated with ants to gain nutrients. Here, we report a novel type of ant–plant symbiosis in Fiji where one ant species actively and exclusively plants the seeds and fertilizes the seedlings of six species of Squamellaria (Rubiaceae). Comparison with related facultative ant plants suggests that such farming plays a key role in mutualism stability by mitigating the critical re-establishment step.

Rarely-seen event of ant brood parasitism by scuttle flies video-documented: here.

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Saving bats in Fiji

This video says about itself:

24 April 2011

Here we have a fruit bat enjoying a ripe papaya in the backyard of the house in Savusavu. A bat is a mammal and there are lots of them here in Fiji.

From BirdLife:

What does the Bat say??…..SAVE ME

By Steve Cranwell and Sialesi Rasalato, 30 Oct 2016

Bats are the only remaining native mammals that survive the gruelling impacts of mother-nature, developments, poaching and invasive alien species predation in Fiji and likewise in most Pacific countries. Studies reveal that there are six species of bats in Fiji, three of which are cave dwelling; Fijian Blossom bat (Notopteris macdonaldi), Pacific Sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata), the Fijian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida bregullae), and three are tree dwelling; Samoan Flying fox (Pteropus samoensis), Pacific Flying fox or the Insular Flying fox (Pteropus tonganus ) and the Fiji Flying fox (Mirimiri acrodonta). All six species of bats are native, of which one is endemic, the Fiji Flying fox.

BirdLife International’s Sialesi Rasalato has been providing technical support to Fiji partner organisation, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti on various projects over the years and one in particular is its current work on the conservation of the endangered Fijian Free-tailed bat (also known as the Fijian Mastiff bat) – one of its species based project.

The Fijian Mastiff bat roosting sites are only found in Nakanacagi, a village on Vanua Levu, the second largest island in the Fiji group; and in Santo and Malo Islands in Vanuatu. NatureFiji-MareqetiViti and is partners has been working tirelessly at the Nakanacagi cave, carrying out community awareness since 2012. Sia has local connections and his links and enthusiasm have been a big part of getting local support. With funding received from Bat Conservation International in 2014, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti was able to acquire fieldwork technical support from The University of the South Pacific’s Institute of Applied Science and from BirdLife International – a classic example of conservation organisations teaming up to undertake a common goal. Activities orchestrated included mapping of the cave and its boundaries, a two year population assessment (2014 and 2015), organising community awareness and consultations with the local resource users and landowners.

As a result of this continuous organised awareness, local resource users have all agreed to put to a stop the harvesting of the Fiji Mastiff bat and the collecting of bat guano for farming purposes. A road that the locals follow to reach their farms and plantations has also been diverted from its original route (which crosses the cave tunnels) to a mere track circumnavigating the roosting site. Decades of trampling this track have resulted in parts of the cave falling off and forming spontaneous cave-ins. Resource users have been advised to follow a controlled method of burning while clearing their farms. Forests surrounding the cave were previously battered with bush fires which are evident and illustrates a very unpleasant sight.

Even though the momentum of implementing sustainable practices and gaining a protection status is gradual, the team involved in this project have started planning future activities which generally revolves around the management, protection, betterment and rehabilitation of the roosting site and its surrounding areas. The success story behind this is that the landowners together with the resource users are supportive of the project and discussions are underway so as to secure the caves in perpetuity in protecting the Fiji Mastiff bat population.

The project is a collaboration between NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, Bat Conservation International, University of the South Pacific, National Trust of Fiji, Department of Cooperative – Fiji, Matasawalevu Farmers’ Cooperative, Community of Nakanacagi, Amrit Sen Solicitors and BirdLife International, with the support of the Fiji National Protected Areas Committee.

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Colouring-in book about Fijian birds to save them

This video says about itself:

The collared lory (Phigys solitarius) is a monotypic species of parrot in the Psittaculidae family, and it is the only species in the genus Phigys. It is endemic to the islands of Fiji. It is the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban landscapes and can be found in urban Suva. Measuring 20 cm (8 in), it has bright red underparts and face with a purple crown and greenish upper parts. Males and females are similar in plumage, although the latter have a paler crown.

From BirdLife:

Colouring-in to save the wonderful birds of Fiji

By Mike Britton, Wed, 14/10/2015 – 21:20

When people think of a Pacific paradise it is often the images of Fiji that come to mind. It is a wonderful place with untouched forests and exotic wildlife. But protecting nature and birds can only happen with the support of the local communities – and with resources. BirdLife’s Fiji partner, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is working with these communities to help them protect the nature that is special to them and develop sustainable livelihoods to support them into the future.

Growing the appreciation of nature in communities is the secret to saving it. That is the motive behind the Colour-In Paradise, an adult colouring-in book developed by Anne and Cathy O’Brien. Adult colouring books are hugely popular for their stress relieving properties and their ability to bring out our inner child. The aim is that as people colour the beautiful hand drawn impressions of Fiji’s unique creatures, they will not only relax and have fun as they de-stress, but also fall in love with the animals and plants they are colouring.

The books will have 20 intricate drawings of Fiji’s beautiful flora and fauna and be perfect for anyone interested in wildlife or looking to make a difference. The money from the sale of books and associated products will go towards helping many of the creatures that are being coloured in: the Fijian flying fox, red throated lorikeet, Fiji petrel and crested iguana to name a few.

Anne and Cathy are raising £4000 to enable them publish the book, postcards and prints. You can help my making a small donation. Please visit the site below and make a contribution to this different but fun initiative.

How Adult Coloring Books Can Bring Out the Artist in You: here.

Fiji: Cyclone Winston decimates ‘Bird Island’ (Vatu-i-Ra) Important Bird Area: here.

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Saving wildlife in Fiji, 2011

From BirdLife:

Invasive species Cast Away in Fiji

Thu, Dec 1, 2011

Goats and rats have been removed from two Fijian islands in a joint operation conducted by BirdLife International’s Fiji Programme and the National Trust of Fiji aimed at protecting unique wildlife on Monuriki and Kadomo. “This is a massive achievement which will provide benefits for the iguanas, birds, plants and people of these islands”, said Sialesi Rasalato from BirdLife International.

The Mamanuca island chain is a well-known tourist destination and nationally important for some unique and threatened wildlife. The islands of Monuriki and Kadomo are among Fiji’s most critical islands for burrowing seabirds and endemic iguana.

Monuriki was the location for the Tom Hanks film Cast Away which depicts his successful attempts to survive on the island following a plane crash. In real life, the 41 hectare island is home to less than a hundred Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana Brachylophus vitiensis which are found on only a few islands, in the dry western side of the Fijian archipelago. Both Monuriki and Kadomo also provide vital habitat for nationally significant breeding colonies of Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus. Thousands of the fish-eating seabirds have excavated burrows across the islands in which to rear their chicks, and can be heard making their strange ‘baby-crying’ calls after dark.

In 1999 and 2003, the National Trust of Fiji surveyed a few islands in the Mamanuca Group detecting a rapid decline in the iguana population as a result of major habitat degradation by goats. In 2009, BirdLife International undertook surveys that showed that rats and goats were also posing severe threats to the breeding seabirds on both islands.

Fiji: Cyclone Winston hits Castaway Island – home to Wedge-tailed shearwaters: here.

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Protecting birds and forests in Fiji

This video says about itself:

23 Aug 2013

Ecological, economic and intrinsic values of forests at Natewa Tunuloa Important Bird Area in Fiji

Appreciation of biodiversity and landscapes contributes significantly to human dignity and self-worth, a sense of identity, political autonomy and control over territory. Many communities and individuals have developed strong cultural attachment to birds and other natural environmental features such as forests, rivers and land. This is especially true of Indigenous Peoples.

This video, taken at the Natewa Tunuloa Important Bird Area in Fiji, shows how iTaukei communities are generating ecological and economic benefits from protecting their forests. They are ensuring that intrinsic/cultural values that contribute to their livelihoods and wellbeing are recognised, respected and conserved.

Video launched at the Natural Livelihoods workshop of the BirdLife World Congress in Ottawa, June 2013. Part of ‘Natural Livelihoods’ video series from BirdLife International‘s Local Empowerment Programme.

See also here.

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Fiji shark conservation helps

This video says about itself:

Bull Shark feeding in Fiji – Benedict Cumberbatch narrates, South Pacific – BBC

Dec 26, 2012

Fishermen of Fiji make more money feeding sharks for tourists then killing the sharks and selling the meat. The divers at Bega Lagoon get a rare treat as a massive bull shark, nicknamed Scarface, comes to feed.

From Wildlife Extra:

Fiji Marine reserve ‘swarming with sharks’

Study by WCS and University of Western Australia finds reef sharks two to four times more abundant in a marine reserve compared to nearby fished areas

July 2013. Fiji’s largest marine reserve contains more sharks than surrounding areas that allow fishing, evidence that marine protected areas can be good for sharks, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Western Australia.

2-400% more sharks

In a study of the no-take reserve’s shark populations, the researchers found that the number of sharks in Namena Reserve-located on the southern coast of Fiji’s Vanua Levu Island-is two to four times greater than in adjacent areas where fishing is permitted.

The researchers conducted their study during a three-week period in 2009 in Namena, a 60-square-kilometer reserve established in 1997 and managed by local communities. In order to survey the sharks, Goetze and the WCS Fiji team used stereo baited remote underwater video systems to record data at eight sites within the reserve and eight outside the reserve at both shallow and deeper depths (between 5-8 metres, and 25-30 metres respectively).

“The study not only provides evidence that Fiji’s largest marine reserve benefits reef sharks, but achieves this in a non-destructive manner using novel stereo video technology,” said Goetze, the lead author of the paper.

Five different species of reef shark

The 60-minute video segments taken captured images of five different species of reef shark, providing the researchers with data on shark abundance. In addition, Goetze and the research team also were able to estimate the length and size of the sharks whenever the animals were within eight metres of the camera, enabling them to generate estimates on biomass for Namena Reserve.

Fewer sharks in fishing zones

Outside the reserve, in areas where fishing is permitted, the researchers found fewer sharks. The researchers note that, because local Fiji communities traditionally considered sharks to be sacred, eating them is typically taboo. The most likely driver of higher shark densities within the reserve, assert the authors, is the significantly higher availability of prey fish that WCS researchers have found within the reserve boundaries compared with adjacent areas.

As demand for shark products grows, higher prices are driving some locals to catch sharks, while Fiji shark populations are also vulnerable to foreign fishing fleets. Worldwide, increasing rates of harvesting are leading to the depletion of many of the world’s shark species.

Positive effect of marine reserves

“The news from Fiji gives us solid proof that marine reserves can have positive effects on reef shark populations,” said Dr. Caleb McClennen, Director of WCS’s Marine Program. “Shark populations are declining worldwide due to the demand for shark products, particularly fins for the Asian markets. We need to establish management strategies that will protect these ancient predators and the ecosystems they inhabit.”

The study was made possible by the generous support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the University of Western Australia (UWA) Marine Science Honours program.

The study appears in a recent edition of the journal Coral Reefs. The authors include: Jordan Goetze of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Western Australia; and Laura Fullwood of the University of Western Australia.

Related articles

• Sharks Thrive in Fiji’s Protected Waters (livescience.com)
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