Selection of National Priorities for Terrestrial Conservation

1. Selection of National Priorities for Terrestrial Conservation Terrestrial Protected Area Gap Analysis The National Trust of Fiji

2. Outline • Background • National Target Setting • Gap Analysis Process • Gaps Identified • How gaps filled • Preliminary Results • Conclusions

3. Background The Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) was adopted by the 7th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-7) in 2004. The overall purpose of PoWPA is to support the establishment and maintenance of comprehensive, effectively managed, and ecologically representative national and regional systems of protected areas.

4. National context • Establishment of a representative system of Protected Areas (PA) is a national priority under Fiji's National Biodiversity and Action Plan. • PA system to include variety of protected areas that are important both local and provincial level.

5. Key steps in a protected area gap analysis (Dudley and Parish,2006

6. Fiji’s Current Status of Biodiversity

8. Identifications of conservation targets at National Level

9. Mapping of the Vegetation Type as Target Step 1

11. Major Vegetation Type

12. Percentage habitat and species target currently represented within the protected area system.

13. Analysis of target protected against Protected Areas

14. Data Derived from National Prioritisation Exercise • Important Bird Areas (14 sites Identified – 2006) • Key Bio-diversity Areas – 39 sites- 2009. • Sites of National Significance – • Existing Protected Areas - Terrestrial, Freshwater & Marine • Proposed Protection Forest – 40 sites • Nine criteria against which the proposed sites were selected. • EndemicBiodiversity Richness • Number of Vegetation Types • Size. • Degradation • Scarcity/Replicability • Conservation Practicality • Economic Importance • Cultural Importance • Priority Connectivity of Forest Areas with Marine Forty Target Sites identified with the Existing PA Thirty of the Forty Proposed sites have been identified as the proposed Protected Areas

15. The 9 rating criteria used to select the high priority conservation forests

16. Part of detailed Results from 9 rating Criteria

17. Highest priority Areas Taveuniemerges as the highest priority area Higher score VitiLevureflects the greater endemic biodiversity richness.

18. Priority ranking for Vanua Levu Vanua Levu has more, smaller sites with greater replicability, Without significant upland/cloud forest habitat and greater degradation through logging.

19. Priority ranking for Larger & Smaller Islands Most distinctive Invertebrate Fauna In terms of percentage single Island Endemism

20. The conservation importance of these Islands have to be measured in a different manner i.e gaps or irreplaceable opportunities (Crested Iguana,, dry forest etc). The broad distribution of PFC may also capture some of the poorly known species.

21. Priority Ratings Maps..

24. Analysis of percentage land area protected under existing and proposed PA.

26. Conclusion Selection of PA provided based on its potential to provide a representative system. A positive step to the sustainable protection conservation and management of Fijis terrestrial and marine resources. Better coordination amongst relevant stakeholders is very important in the establishment and management of Protected Areas.

27. Acknowledgement: • Dr Stacy Jupiter, Director WCS. • The National Protected Areas Committee. • Director National Trust - Mrs. Elizabeth Erasito VinakaVakalevu Fiji Tree Frog Fijian Crested Iguana Sigatoka Sand Dune National Park Fiji Orange Dove in Taveuni Cloud Forest @ Mt. Victoria MedrauSucu Range