Vol 3 Land Resource Inventory Report - Department of Environment ...

essential species of flora on the dry zone are reeds. The species of reeds include
Miiscanthus floridulus and the grasses, Sporobolus elongates, Paspalum orbiculare
and Heteropogon contortus, Dichanthium caricosum and Panicum maximum
(Parham, 1972:18).
4. Intermediate Zone flora: Areas of intermediate zone flora include the mixed cover on
the leeward hill slopes that includes the grasses and small shrubs and the windward
sides are covered with light forest (Parham, 1972:19).
5. Wet Zone Flora: The wet zone flora is usually found on the windward sides of the
larger islands and the flora consists of forests. The combination of the forest trees
varies and it is difficult to give a good picture of the flora that is present in the wet
zone of Fiji. Some of the wet zone areas of Fiji consist of Agathis vitiensis and
Dacrydium nidulum var. nidulum. The most common forest flora in addition to those
mentioned are the trees Podocarpus neriifolius, Dacrycarpus imbricatus,
Decussocarpus vitiensis, Calophyllum vitiense, Fagracea gracilipes, Intsia bijuga,
Syzygium effusum, Serianthes Melanesia, Endospermum macrophyllum, Dysoxylum,
spp., Burckella spp., Casuarina nodiflora, Myristica castaneifolia, Ficus spp.,
Elaeocarpus spp., Balaka spp. and the undershrubs include Psychotria spp.,
Cyrtandra spp., Alpinia spp., Freycinetia spp. In the wet zone flora numerous tree
ferns are found as well as epiphytic orchids, mosses and giant lianes (Parham,
1972:20).
A study conducted by Balgooy (1971) as cited in Department of Environment (1997:6) stated
that the vascular flora of Fiji is taken as an addition to the Indo-Malesian floristic province.
Further, about 90% of all seed plant genera found in Fiji is present in New Guinea. Building
onto this idea, Robinson (1975) as cited in Department of Environment (1997:7) suggested
that more than 3500 insect species inhabit the Fiji group. Fiji has 400 spp. of
macrolepidoptera. Fiji‘s cicada fauna consists of 15 species (Department of Environment,
1997:7). Notably, there is no review of Fijian terrerstrial molluscs but Solem (1974) as cited
in Department of Environment (1997:6) records 58 species for Viti Levu. The Convention on
Biological Diversity 1997 National Report to the Conference of the Parties highlights that
there are 55 terrestrial species of breeding birds in Fiji as cited in Department of Environment
(1997:9). Fiji‘s only indigenous mammals are bats of which there are six known species,
four of which are megachiropterans and two microchiropterans. Fiji's wholy terrestrial reptile
fauna consists of 27 reptile species as cited in Department of Environment (1997:9). Two
indigenous amphibia, both endemic frogs of the genus Platymantis occur in Fiji as cited in
Department of Environment (1997:9).
3.9.1 BIRDS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
Birds are perhaps one of the most enigmatic groups of living creatures having evolved since
the Jurassic period (150-200 million years ago) to exist in almost all the land-masses of earth.
Their unique characters of wings, two feet, warm-blooded and egg-laying warranted their
placement under the class Aves (phylum Chordata, sub-phylum Vertebrata). The exact
number of living bird species is not known, but an estimate of around 10,000 species has
been suggested.
Birds are important ecologically, through pollination of wild and agricultural plants to
dispersal of seeds to new environments. While some birds feed exclusively on plants, others
are predators, feeding on small insects, reptiles, mammals, even other birds, such as the Fiji
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), the Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans) and the Fiji
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