Iguana 12.2 b&w text


The only true iguanas found outside the Americas are the two species of Pacific iguanas, which are restricted to the
islands of Fiji and Tonga in the southwestern Pacific. Both are arboreal herbivores that feed on the leaves, flowers, and

fruits of native trees and shrubs. The critically endangered Fijian Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) is today secure on
only one small, uninhabited island, the 70-hectare Crested Iguana Sanctuary island of Yadua Taba, administered by the
National Trust of the Fiji Islands. Populations on most other islands appear to be functionally extinct, with little or no juve-
nile recruitment. The threatening processes that have contributed to the species’ decline continue unchecked (native for-
est degradation from clearing, burning, proliferation of invasive plants, and over-grazing by goats, as well as the introduc-
tion of cats and mongooses).

The World Conservation Union’s Iguana Specialist Group met in Fiji in November 2004 to address this species’ con-
servation requirements and produce a conservation and management plan. Priorities include identifying islands suitable
for the species’ long-term survival, collecting urgently required natural history data to aid conservation planning (especially
on diet and reproduction, of which nothing is known), and initiating captive breeding with animals from populations other
than Yadua Taba.

The uninhabited island of Monuriki was identified as the first choice for sourcing Crested Iguanas for a second cap-
tive breeding group. Monuriki is a spectacular island, its Crested Iguanas are genetically distinct from Yadua Taba, and its
location close to a major tourist area provides an excellent potential for future ecotourism. The native forest, however, has
been severely degraded by fires, intensive goat grazing, and invasive plants. Iguana surveys suggest that the population on
Monuriki has decreased from an estimated 80–120 iguanas in 1998 to 10–20 in 2003, with no evidence of juvenile recruit-
ment during that time.

Kula Eco Park, Fiji’s only center for captive breeding of endangered species, has volunteered to set up the Monuriki
captive breeding group, while zoos in Australia will continue captive breeding of iguanas from Yadua Taba. The rationale
is that Monuriki Crested Iguanas will soon be (or perhaps already are) functionally extinct; but, if enough founders remain
and can be brought into captivity, their progeny could be returned to Monuriki when habitat restoration (or goat exclu-
sion fencing) is completed.

For more information on the Fijian Crested Iguana see IGUANA 11(4), December 2004, “Lost in the South Pacific:
The Fijian Iguanas (Genus Brachylophus)” by Peter Harlow. You also may visit the websites of Kula Eco Park (www.fiji-
wild.com) and the International Conservation Fund for the Fijian Crested Iguana (www.icffci.com).

F O C U S  O N  C O N S E R V A T I O N

Fijian Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis)

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