PII Demo Projects

Conserving the internationally important seabird colony of Vatu I Ra Island, Fiji

Vatu I Ra is a small (2.3ha) uninhabited island located in the Vatu I Ra Channel between Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, about 15 km from the north east coast of Viti Levu, Fiji. The island is owned by the Nagilogilo Clan who live in two villages in Rakiraki province of Viti Levu.

Vatu I Ra has been identified as an Important Bird Area (BirdLife International, 2006). The island supports nine species of breeding seabird including in excess of 20,000 pairs of black noddy (Anous tenuirostris) as well as breeding hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the endemic pigmy snake eyed skink (Cryptoblecephalus eximius). The island has a forest dominated by grand devil's-claws (Pisonia grandis) with a canopy height of less than 6 metres.

A number of visitors land on the island without permission from the owners. These visitors include people from local resort hotels and eco-tourism operators bringing paying customers, none of whom contribute to the island or its owners. Fishermen from as far away as Suva also camp on the island and harvest birds, eggs and turtles. The clan has explored the possibility of generating income from tourist visits to the island (as a site of ecological importance). They have sought the help of BirdLife International to assist the rat eradication project as a step towards this goal. The clan wishes to generate income for their community and see eco-tourism as a means to do this. They wish to clarify to the public their ownership of the island and they wish to explore the development of their own tourist venture. In order to do this they need to manage the island more visibly and protect it from a range of ecological threats including rat predation and harvesting of birds, eggs and turtles.

The Nagilogilo Clan and BirdLife International have proposed to protect the seabird colony and other fauna and flora of Vatu I Ra Island by removing the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans). Surveys in 2004 on Vatu I Ra indicate that the Pacific rat is present in high densities. Evidence suggests that when rats are present in high densities they are a significant threat to seabird populations. Eradication of the Pacific rat was determined to be achievable by a feasibility study undertaken in April 2006. An Operational Plan was subsequently prepared and the eradication operation was initiated in July 2006.

This eradication and the implementation of measures to prevent reinvasion will be the first step of a programme to support the community to sustainably manage the island.

Regional Natural Heritage Programme (RNHP) through the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).