distribution, status, and conservation of bats in the fiji islands

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Summary Key sites for bat conservation Yaqueta island cave (Emballonura semicaudata) Cave harbouring a colony with several hundred individuals of this endangered species. Beka Beka cave (Chaerephon bregullae) Nursing colony with thousands of inviduals. Only roost of the species known in Fiji and one of three known globally. Vanua Levu Forests of Taveuni (Pteralopex acrodonta) The upland forest of this island is the only area in the World where this unique species is known to occur. It may also be present in the highlands of the adjacent Vanua Levu, but this has not been confirmed. Viti Levu Vatu Vara island (Emballonura semicaudata) Cave with hundreds of individuals of this declining species on a pristine island. Tatuba, Wailotua, Wainibuku & Kalabo caves (Notopteris macdonaldi) Caves that harbour large colonies of this species. They are its only known roosts in Fiji and hold much of the global population of the species. Lau group (Emballonura semicaudata) Quite a few islands of the group still have populations of this bat. In Fiji they are the best hope for this species, which is declining dramatically throughout the Pacific. ð Figure 1. Known key sites and areas for the protection of bats in Fiji. 5
Introduction 2. INTRODUCTION Bats are the only mammals that have been able to colonise Fiji and most of the Pacific archipelagos, and speciation processes resulted in the appearance of several endemic species with a very restricted range in the region. Consequently, bats are a most important part of the natural heritage of Fiji and the Pacific. The importance of bats is not limited to their heritage value, since they also play important ecological roles. In fact, megachiroptera (flying foxes) seem to be keystone species in Pacific island ecosystems, where they are essential pollinators and seed dispersers (Cox et al. 1991, Cox et al. 1992, Rainey et al. 1995). This critical role was enhanced with the disappearance of many potential dispersers and pollinators, as a result of the mass extinction of birds that followed the expansion of Man in the Pacific (Steadman & Martin 2003). Most importantly, flying foxes are presently the only likely aerial dispersers of several plant species with large seeds (Rainey et al. 1995, McConkey & Drake 2002). The populations of flying foxes required to fulfil this important ecosystem maintenance role are likely to be much larger than those needed to assure the survival of those populations. Consequently, a decline in the populations of flying foxes, even if it does not result in extinctions or extirpations, may have extensive consequences in many of the terrestrial ecosystems of the Pacific. Negative economic impacts are also to be expected, since many of the plants that are pollinated or dispersed by bats are important for Man (Fujita & Tuttle 1991, Wiles & Fujita 1992). The few species of insectivorous microchiroptera present in the Pacific are likely to play an important role in the maintenance of balanced populations of flying insects, as they do in other regions of the World. Regrettably, during the last century several bat species declined dramatically and were extirpated from many Pacific islands (Rainey 1998). In the Pacific the situation was particularly serious due to intensive international trade to satisfy the Guam and Northern Marianas exotic food market (Bräutigam & Elmqvist 1990). Several species and subspecies already became extinct, or are highly threatened in the region. Mickleburgh et al. (1992), Rainey (1998), Hutson et al. (2001), and various papers in Wilson & Graham (1992), review the status of bats in the Pacific. Bats are in general vulnerable species, especially due to their very low reproductive rate. However, a combination of factors makes most island bats species particularly vulnerable. These include limited and fractionated distributions, relatively small population sizes, and the risks associated with devastating hurricanes and epidemics (Pierson & Rainey 1992, Robertson 1992). Under these circumstances, many bat populations were not able to sustain the expanding human pressure of the last century. Factors like loss of forest habitat, intensification of the hunting pressure, use of pesticides, destruction and disturbance of underground roosts, and introduced predators, affected the populations of various bat species. 6
Page 1 and 2: DISTRIBUTION, STATUS, AND CONSERVAT
Page 3 and 4: Summary 1. SUMMARY With over 300 is
Page 5: Summary Roost loss Roosts are usual
Page 9 and 10: Methods 3. Methods Most of the fiel
Page 11 and 12: Methods report were obtained with a
Page 13 and 14: Species accounts: Notopteris macdon
Page 15 and 16: Species accounts: Notopteris macdon
Page 17 and 18: Species accounts: Pteralopex acrodo
Page 19 and 20: Species accounts: Pteralopex acrodo
Page 21 and 22: N Species accounts: Pteropus samoen
Page 23 and 24: Species accounts: Pteropus samoensi
Page 25 and 26: Species accounts: Pteropus tonganus
Page 27 and 28: Species accounts: Pteropus tonganus
Page 29 and 30: Species accounts: Emballonura semic
Page 31 and 32: N Species accounts: Emballonura sem
Page 41 and 42: Species accounts: Chaerephon bregul
Page 43 and 44: Key sites and areas for conservatio
Page 49 and 50: Acknowledgements Acknowledgements W
Page 51 and 52: Literature cited Flannery, T.F. 199
Page 53 and 54: Literature cited Australian Museum
Page 55 and 56: Island - Island Group Name of villa
Page 57 and 58:
Cicia - Lau site: Mabula 17º 46.16
Page 59 and 60:
Nayau - Lau 17º 59.38' S, 179º 3.
Page 61 and 62:
Vanua Balavu - Lau site: - Qara ni
Page 63 and 64:
Taveuni - Taveuni site: Tabakau - T
Page 65 and 66:
Vanua Levu - Vanua Levu site: Nawi
Page 67 and 68:
Viti Levu - Viti Levu site: Tuvu -
Page 69:
Waya - Yasawa 17º 16.37' S, 177º
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