Summary report on forests of the mataqali nadicake kilaka, kubulau district, bua, vanua levu
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- Fig. 1: Approximate boundary of the land of the mataqali Nadicake-Nadi (black line)
- Threats Logging The major threat to the forests of Kubulau is logging. This is evident in the fact that only two mataqalis
- REFERENCES
- APPENDIX 1: Preliminary annotated species checklist for the proposed Kilaka Reserve, including species that were previously collected (Smith 1979-96) in the adjacent Wainunu
- Filicopsida
- GYMNOSPERMS (cone-bearing plants)
- Kilaka name
Status of the Proposed Reserve
The proposed reserve will approximately straddle the 200m altitude line on its western side and elsewhere follow the boundaries of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka. It is ideally located in the sense that it protects a major area of the Kilaka River watershed and contains some of the best remaining forests. However, the plateau also includes areas that were heavily disturbed in the past. We saw an old village site and evidence of previous attempts of bauxite exploitation. However, vegetation is recovering quickly from these past disturbances. Of greater concern is the presence of a large, recently created plantation. Reportedly, this plantation was mistakenly created on land of mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka by the mataqali Nadicake-Nadi, but soon abandoned. Eventually vegetation should recover from this disturbance.
I believe that the proposed reserve should be extended to include most of the remaining patches of forest. This would allow protecting forest along a gradient of increasing rainfall from the western to the eastern end of the land of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka. However, such an extension would require a detailed study of current and past land use and of the intentions and aspirations of members of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka, as large plantations are located east of the proposed reserve. Ideally this would result in a well-balanced, dynamic management plan that includes planted, barren (recovering) and protected areas, as well as improved farming practices.
Conservation Value
I believe that gazetting the proposed reserve should be considered a high conservation priority. This is based on the numerous endemic species in the reserve and the presence of vegetation types that are uncommon elsewhere in Fiji. Lowland tropical rainforests that have Retrophyllum vitiense as a dominant component are rare, as are still forested plateaus as that covering most of the intended reserve. In addition, if the reserve could be extended to include some of the southern parts of the land of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka, it could include the rain forest, mesic forest and the transition zone between these two forest types.
Several unique and very rare species were collected. Zanthophyllum myrianthum [Rutaceae] was collected only for the second time ever and now appears to be endemic to S Vanua Levu, a species of Terminalia [Combretaceae] that I believe to be new to science and would be the first non-coastal species of the genus in Fiji with fleshy fruits, a species of Aglaia (aff. tomentosa in the apendix) [Meliaceae] that appears to be a new record for Fiji, and Astronidium kasiensis [Melastomataceae] which was previously believed to be endemic to Mt. Kasi and surroundings. The find of the latter species is of special significance, as there are several other species that have only been collected from Mt. Kasi and may therefore also be present in the reserve. These include Caesaria myrsinoides [Flacourtiaceae], Elaeocarpus kasiense [Elaeocarpaceae], Mapania vitiensis [Melastomataceae], Metrosideros ochrantha [Myrtaceae], and Phreatia flavovirens [Orchidaceae]. In addition, Guioa capillacea [Sapindaceae] has only been collected once in the adjacent Wainunu Catchment and may also occur in the reserve. Discovery of some of these species would greatly add to the conservation value of the reserve. Especially the discovery of Metrosideros ochrantha, which is feared to have been extirpated from Mt. Kasi due to mining activities (M.F. Doyle & M.V. Tuiwawa, personal communication), would be an important discovery. In short, the area has the potential to become one of the highest priority conservation sites in Fiji.
1.
The community is very happy with the initiative and efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Society. 2.
because: -
they want to keep their forest for future generations -
they want to maintain the quality of their drinking water -
they want to ensure that there are no water shortages in future -
they want to protect their oceans and reefs, which could be severly impacted by siltation -
they have seen and heard about many other places that now regret having logged their forests because the money was quickly spent -
3.
The community would appreciate more frequent and more detailed feedback on the research undertaken on their land
Threats Logging The major threat to the forests of Kubulau is logging. This is evident in the fact that only two mataqalis, Nadicake-Kilaka and Nadicake-Nadi, have not yet logged their forests, with the latter having just approved to log their forest. Most of the coastal forests, which is located on relatively flat terrain, have been clear-felled and only tiny fragments of intact mesic forest remain. The topography further inland is more rugged and has resulted in logging tracks following ridges (which usually also have the highest density of timber) and trees being removed on and along these tracks.
Because of the isolation of the district from the two major towns on Vanua Levu, Savusavu and Labasa, plantations (e.g. pine, mahogany) and paid employment are not likely to render good profit and the ocean and forest therefore present the major possible sources of income for inhabitants of the district. As a result there is continued interest in exploiting the remaining forest. However, there is also good awareness that logging in the forest impacts the ocean and freshwater resources and an initiative to declare protected forest areas to safeguard these valuable resources.
Agriculture Agriculture is of great importance to Fijian communities, as many are partially or entirely subsistence based. In addition there is increased commercial farming. Members of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka travel for 2 hours (by feet) or 30 minutes (by horse) to reach their plantations, several of which are located just east of the proposed reserve.
Therefore, agriculture could place increasing strain on the reserve, if the population of Kilaka village increases or if avenues to better market garden produce become available. It is therefore essential that proper management plans, which incorporate increasing demands, are now made. As mentioned before such management should include improved farming techniques and a system of protected and use areas.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. All possible assistance should be provided to the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka to reserve the area they are intending to reserve. It includes some of the biggest remaining trees in Fiji.
2. A management plan should be designed for the land owned by the mataqali and located outside the proposed reserve. This would not only allow protecting forest along a rainfall gradient but should also ease pressure on the reserve. I suggest that the setting up of this management plan involves the following steps: -
a detailed survey of the entire land of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka to determine patches currently and recently farmed, old village sites, old garden sites and “old- growth” forest. This could facilitate designing a dynamic management system of area of use, moderate use and total protection. -
Merremia peltata is a major problem (prevents re-growth for 10 years or more), agroforestry may be a suitable farming system -
The above would be important initial steps towards sustainable farming and easing future pressure on the proposed reserve. All steps need to be carried out in close consultation with the community.
3. Avenues for income generating activities for the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka should be set up. Although this will not generate as much as logging, it will provide some revenue to landowners. Three suggestions are listed below. a.
ideal place for research. The presence of many narrowly restricted endemic plant species makes the area a high priority area for plant and insect collection. A farmhouse is present east of the proposed reserve and could serve as a research station for interested scientists. As an immediate measure, all visiting scientists could be asked to hire 1 or 2 guides at a rate of $20 per day. b.
Preferential Buying of Produce: Hotels or shop owners in Savusavu could be contacted, once the reserve and management plan are established, regarding preferentially purchasing produce (taro, cassava, kava) from a sustainably managed landscape. Generating Fair Trade products could be another option to get good prices and a reliable market for produce.
c.
Ecotourism: This is probably the most difficult option at present because the remoteness of the area, the long distance from the village to good forest sites and the waterfall, the bad condition of the road and the wet weather. However, a well-planned project, involving horseback rides to the waterfall (at the south-eastern boundary of the land of the mataqali Nadicake-Kilaka) in the morning, may be an option in the future. If a sustainably managed landscape can be set up, tourists may be interested in seeing this also.
4.
Frequent and detailed feedback to landowners about any activities on the land of the mataqali Nadicake-Nadi needs to be provided. In my experience this should be done orally whenever possible, rather than by reports, which are only read by few people.
5. An intensive search for the six narrow endemics reported only from the Mt. Kasi region & the Wainunu (see above) should be undertaken in the proposed reserve. The discovery of any of these would greatly increase the conservation value of the reserve.
6.
Efforts to add parts of the Wainunu Catchment to the reserve should be undertaken, as the present reserve is relatively small.
Ash J 1992. Vegetation ecology of Fiji: past, present, and future perspectives. Pac Sci 46: 111-127.
Pannell CM 1992. Taxonomic monograph of the genus Aglaia Lour. (Meliaceae). Kew, UK, Royal Botanic Gardens. Smith AC 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 1. Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Smith AC 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 2. Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Smith AC 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 3. Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Smith AC 1988. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 4. Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Smith AC 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 5. Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Smith AC 1996. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only): Comprehensive indices. Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden.
APPENDIX 1: Preliminary annotated species checklist for the proposed Kilaka Reserve, including species that were previously collected (Smith 1979-96) in the adjacent Wainunu Catchment and Mt. Kasi region (listed as other possible species).
PSLIOTACEAE Psilotum nudum (L.) Beauv. Indigenous ground herb. Tropics and subtropics.
LYCOPODIACEAE Huperzia subtrifoliata (Brownlie) Holub Synonym: Lycopodium subtrifoliatum Brownlie
Endemic epiphyte and known from Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Lycopodiella cernua (L.) Pichi-Serm. Synonym: Lycopdium cernuum L.
Indigenous ground herb. Tropics and subtropics. SELLAGINELLACEAE Selaginella breynoides Baker
Endemic ground herb collected from Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Filicopsida
ADIANTACEAE Stenochlaena palustris (Burm.) Bedd.
Indigenous. India to Australia and Polynesia Taenitis pinnata (J.Sm.) Holtt. var. polypodiodes (Baker) Holtt.
Species is indigenous to Fiji, occurring in Australia and Melanesia. The variety is endemic to Fiji. ASPIDIACEAE Tectaria sp.
Indigenous. Observed in the field, no specimens collected. ASPLENIACEAE Asplenium amboinense Willd.
Indigenous. Malaysia to Fiji. Climbing fern. Asplenium australasicum Hook.
Indigenous. South Pacific. Epiphytic bird’s-nest fern Asplenium bipinnatifidum Baker
Indigenous. Fiji and Vanuatu. Climbing epiphyte. Asplenium cuneatum Lam.
Indigenous. Tropics. Short-creeping epiphyte. ATHYRIACEAE Callipteris prolifera (Lam.) Bory Synonym: Diplazium proliferum (Lam.) Thouars
Indigenous. Tropical Africa to Samoa. Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw.
Indigenous. Tropical Asia to Pacific Islands. Diplazium harpeodes Moore
Indigenous. Fiji to Polynesia. Terrestrial. BLECHNACEAE Blechnum orientale L. Indigenous. Tropical Asia to the Pacific.
CYATHEACEAE Cyathea hornei Copel.
Indigenous. New Guinea to Fiji. Cyathea lunulata (G.Forst.) Copel.
Indigenous. Marianas and Carolines to Samoa DAVLLIACEAE Davallia solida (G.Forst.) Sw. var. fejeensis (Hook.) Notenb. Synonym: Davallia fejeensis Hk.
Indigenous, epiphytic fern. The variety is endemic to Fiji. Davallia solida (G.Forst.) Swartz var. solida
Indigenous, epiphytic fern. Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott Indigenous. Terrestrial. Pantropical. Nephrolepis hirsutula (G.Forst.) Presl
Indigenous. Terrestrial. Tropical Asia to the Pacific Islands. Nephrolepis tuberosa (Bory ex Willd.) Presl
Indigenous, mostly epiphytic. Masacrenes to the Pacific. Oleandra neriiformis Cav.
Indigenous. Tropical Asia to Samoa. Epiphyte.
DENNSTAEDTIACEAE Orthiopteris tenuis (Brack.) Brownlie
Indigenous, terrestrial fern. South Pacific. GLEICHENIACEAE Dicranopteris linearis (Burm.) Underw.
Indigenous. Tropics and subtropics. HYMENOPHYLLACEAE (filmy ferns) Hymenophyllum affine Brack.
Endemic epiphyte. Collected from several high islands. Cephalomanes boryanum (Kunze) Copel. Synonym: Trichomanes boryanum Kunze
Indigenous, mostly terrestrial herb. Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa. Most common in ephemeral stream beds and along stream banks. Crepidomanes endlicherianum (Presl) P.S.Green Synonym: Trichomanes endlicherianum Presl
Indigenous. Epiphytic climber. South Pacific. Selenodesmium dentatum (Bosch) Copel. Synonym: Trichomanes dentatum Bosch
Indigenous. New Caledonia, Fiji and Polynesia. Most common in ephemeral stream beds and along stream banks. Nesopteris intermedia (Bosch) Copel. Synonym: Trichomanes intermedium Bosch
Indigenous terrestrial herb. Common along stream banks. New Guinea to Samoa. LOMARIOPSIDACEAE Lommagramma polyphylla Brack.
Indigenous. Santa Cruz Islands to Tonga. MARATTIACEAE Angiopteris evecta (G.Forst.) Hoffm. Indigenous. From SE Asia into the Pacific. Large terrestrial fern that produces leaves from a short, massive, fleshy base.
Indigenous. Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa. Large terrestrial fern that produces leaves from a short, massive, fleshy base. POLYPODIACEAE Dipteris conjugata Reinw.
Indigenous. Thailand to Fiji. Drynaria rigidula (Sw.) Bedd.
Indigenous. Malaya and Sumatra to Australia and Polynesia. Lemmaphyllum accedens (Bl.) Donk
Indigenous. Malaysia to Polynesia. Microsorum mebranifolium (R.Br.) Ching Synonym: Phymatosorus nigrescens (Bl.) Pichi-Serm.
Indigenous. SE Asia to Polynesia. Polypodium subauriculatum Bl. Synonym: Gonioplebium subauriculatum (Bl.) Pr. Indigenous epiphyte. Tropical Asia to the Pacific. Pyrrosia lanceolata (L.) Farw. Synonym: Pyrrosia adnascens (Sw.) Ching
Indigenous. SE Asia to Polynesia. SCHIZAEACEAE Lygodium reticulatum Schkuhr
Indigenous. Vanuatu, Queensland, Fiji, Polynesia. Schizaea dichotoma (L.) Smith Indigenous. South Pacific and Indian Ocean. THELYPTERIDACEAE Pronephrium rubinerve (Mett.) Holtt.
Indigenous. New Ireland to Fiji. VITTARIACEAE Anthrophyum alatum Brack.
Indigenous. New Caledonia to Tahiti. Haplopteris elongata (Sw.) E.H.Crane Synonym: Vittaria elongata Sw.
Indigenous. Tropical Asia to Polynesia. Monogramma acrocarpa (Holtt.) D.L.Jones Synonym: Vaginularia angustissima (Brack.) Mett.
Indigenous epiphyte. Fiji and Vanuatu.
ARAUCARIACEAE Agathis macrophylla (Lind.) Mast. Synonym: A. vitiense (Seem.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Drake
Other Common Fijian name: dakua makadre Indigenous. Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji.
PODOCARPACEAE Dacrydium nidulum de Laub.
Indigenous. SE Asia to Fiji.
Podocarpus nerifolius D.Don
Other Common Fijian name: kuasi Indigenous. SE Asia and Pacific. Retrophyllum vitiense (Seem.) C.N.Page Synonym: Decussocarpus vitiensis (Seem.) de Laub.
Indigenous. Malesia and Melanesia Gnetales
GNETACEAE Gnetum gnemon L.
Indigenous. SE Asia to Fiji. ANGIOSPERMS (flowering plants)
AGAVCEAE Cordyline terminalis (L.) Kunth Synonym: Cordyline fruticosa L.
Likely to be an aboriginal introduction to the Pacific but widely naturalized. ARACEAE
Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) G.Don
Probably and aboriginal introduction. India to the Pacific. Colocasia esculenta L.
Aboriginal introduction. Trop. Asia. Commonly planted in food gardens. Epipremnum pinnatum (L.) Engl.
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