FIJI'S MOIST AND MYSTIC LANDSCAPE

Forest and Bird, Issue 250, 1 November 1988, Page 34

FIJI'S MOIST AND MYSTIC LANDSCAPE

by

Sean Weaver

he Fijian group of islands are set in the tropical South Pacific, lying at the same latitude as Townsville (Queensland) to the west and Tahiti in the east. Fiji has an extremely rich fauna and flora, much of which is still unstudied or unknown to science. It also lies on the eastern fringe of a tropical zone that is said to include the highest biotic density on earth, and this extends to Java in the west. Few people who visit Fiji get a true perspective of its size and the extent of the wilderness that exists beyond the fringe of white sand beaches and coral reefs. The remoteness of the mountains and forests prevents easy access, but the explorer is amply rewarded. During the summer of 1986/87 my friend lan MacDonald and I carried out a threemonth field trip to Fiji for our BSc Honours projects in forest ecology (Victoria University). The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society assisted us with a QEII Scholarship. My study was on the regeneration of Fijian kauri (Agathis macrophylla), known to Fijians as dukua makadre (pronounced ndakua makandre) and notable for being the largest and most widely known native Fijian tree. The dakua resembles our own kauri, but it usually does not grow as tall; however, it may reach diameters of close to 3 metres. It is patchily distributed on the large islands of the Fiji group, with few virgin stands remaining.

Stately Giant

The timber of this magnificent tree has been sought after for centuries by Fijian and more recently European sawyers. As a result, few of the old forests remain intact, and one has to travel considerable distances to see this stately giant and its allies in undisturbed surroundings. I was interested to know whether dakua would be able to regenerate on sites following logging. I suspected that it would be unable to compete with the lush tangle of vegetation which usually occupies such sites, unlike New Zealand kauri which forms even-aged stands after logging. What I found, however, contradicted my hypothesis: dukua appears capable of forming evenaged stands. Ian MacDonald studied the way in which dakua regenerated within mature forest, and was working on an old growth stand not far from my study area on Mt Lomalagi. He found dakua to be a long lived tree that could benefit from small scale disturbances in these mature forests. The high frequency of hurricanes and storms is an environmental feature that enables dakua to regenerate within gaps formed in the forest canopy by windthrown trees. The tree evidently maintains a permanent position in Fijian forests and appears to be a successful competitor in both secondary and mature forests. One noteworthy feature of these higher altitude forests is their similarity to many

New Zealand conifer/broadleaf forests. The forest in which we spent most of our time could easily have been in Northland: we came across mahoe, ake ake, and mamaku. There is a relative of the kahikatea (Dacrycarpus impricatus var patulus), and other podocarps including Podocarpus nerifolius var degeneri, Decussocarpus vitiensis and Dacrydium nidulum var nidulum. Kohekohe has a relative Dysoxylum richii, as has pigeonwood (Hedycarya dorstenioides) and titoki (Arytera brackenridgeii). Although we entered these forests primarily as botanists, it was impossible to ignore the richness of the bird life, endowing the scene with the ambience of a tropical rainforest. In the past the bright colours of the parrots and lorikeets made them prime targets for feather hunters, their plumage used for traditional adornments and in ceremonies. Red feathers in particular were a sought after commodity in pre-colonial days, becoming one of Fiji's earliest exports to other Pacific islands. Fiji has two parrots, the yellow- breasted musk parrot and the redbreasted musk parrot. Related to this colourful pair are the lorikeets which include the collared lory and the red-throated lorikeet. Of these four, the yellow-breasted musk parrot and the red-throated lorikeet are generally found only in mature rainforest. Then there are the two native frogs, the

tree frog, which is somewhat smaller than the ground frog. The tree frog is still found on Viti Levu in damp forests near streams but the ground frog has declined dramatically since the introduction of the mongoose. A lesser known creature is Fiji’s ‘‘bolo"’, or burrowing snake. It is a member of the cobra family, and though quite timid is nevertheless poisonous. It lives in areas of loose soil and leaf litter and grows to only 40cm. Very little is known about Fiji's only endemic snake. Fiji also possesses a variety of very ancient plants. It is the home of Degeneria vitiensis (masiratu), which is the only member of the family Degeneriaceae. Authorities place it second on the list of the most primitive flowering plants known.

Conservation in Fiji

The conservation of representative (or any) natural areas in Fiji is sadly lacking. There is only minimal sensitivity to habitat protection although a wide range of areas call out for preservation. Athough relatively large areas of rainforest remain, much of it has been logged at some stage. There still remain, however, extensive areas of untouched forest that adorn the jagged peaks and steep valleys of the misty interior of the two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, not to mention the large forests of the Garden Island, Taveuni. Of Fiji's land surface (18,376 km72), only 6266 ha is legally protected. Fiji has no national parks, but does have a few nature reserves and sanctuaries. Legislation exists to protect wildlife and habitats, but as yet it has not been greatly effective in landscape preservation, although it lies latent as a potential vehicle for conservation in the future. A strong argument for conservation can be based on the needs of the country’s native animals, such as most of the land birds which are unable to survive in logged areas. Remaining areas of virgin rainforest have escaped exploitation thanks to their inaccessibility. One such area of virgin dakua forest is an isolated valley adjacent to Fiji's highest peak Mt Tomanivi, but local landowners want to log it. One success story has been the granting of funds to protect 120 ha of dakua forest on Vanua Levu. New Zealand aid money was made available early in 1987 for the establishment of the proposed Waisali Reserve. The milling company has agreed to surrender its claim to this area provided the landowners are compensated. Attitudes towards logging of native forests are somewhat ambivalent: people of the coastal areas and towns appeared to have little affinity for their forests, perhaps because they simply have never set foot into the interior and therefore remain unaware of its natural beauty. I spoke to one forester who was working for the Fiji Pine Commission. He seemed quite sure that most of the native forests would eventually disappear, taking the wildlife with them. He expressed a sadness about this, but accepted it as a fait accompli. | asked him about the steepest country, and he said: ‘‘They will be in there with the cable haulers." The forests are a source of income for the people of the interior (kai colo pronounced

kai tholo) and the value of the land is often measured in its anticipated royalties from logging. It is important to recognise that this potential income is a major asset to the village or clan (matagali — pronounced matanggali), and attempts to preserve these forests must also take into account the monetary needs of the people who are dependent on this land. Indigenous Fijians own 83 percent of the total land area, the remainder is either crown land or leasehold land. The Native Lands Trust Board is an organisation that has in the past helped counteract the most destructive aspects of development on na-tive-owned land, but still in many cases has failed to be effective in preventing a great deal of habitat destruction.

Conservation programmes require high degrees of sensitivity in observing the needs of local peoples as their interests in the land are first and foremost. There is certainly room however, for common ground to be reached in the conservation issues of these South Pacific landscapes. Depite the recent Fiji coup, we should not turn our backs on our Pacific neighbours and their forests. Conservation is above politics; Fiji’s moist and mystic forestscape has an intrinsic beauty and innocence that should not be ignored. Born in Fiji, Sean Weaver lived there during his early childhood, and although now a New Zealand resident, regards Fiji as his second home. He is now studying towards a PhD on forest dynamics and conservation biology.