Hidden wildlife in Fiji

In 2017 a group of 8 students travelled to Fiji to undertake animal and plant surveys in the Natewa region with Operation Wallecea to help catch and identify species on the Peninsula. The purpose was to catalogue the vast array of species present and encourage the government to provide the area with National Park status. Here is an extract from an article published in the Fijian press detailing one of the findings that our students were involved in – the discovery of a previously undocumented species of butterfly:

Fiji is best known internationally as a destination for beach tourism and of course a rather good rugby team. Much less well known is that parts of the main islands have some outstanding rainforests with hidden secrets. In July 2018, Fijian biologist, Visheshni Chandra, who lectures at the Fiji National University, captured a spectacular swallowtail butterfly that has turned out to be a species new to science. It was photographed alive in 2017 and the pictures sent around the world to international experts but no-one could identify it. Indeed, at first, they were convinced the photo was forged because it seemed to combine features of a number of species.

Visheshni, who is expert on the previously only known species of Fiji swallowtail, joined a team of international specialists in the Natewa Peninsula on Vanua Levu in June 2018 determined to catch one so that it could be properly identified. After weeks of frustrating glimpses of a high-flying swallowtail, she managed to catch the first specimen, which has recently been named the ‘Natewa Swallowtail’, the only new one described for 50 years. Who would expect such novelties from forests on one of the best studied islands in the world.

Strangely, the Natewa forests also contain a bird, the Natewa Silktail, unique to the peninsula and not found elsewhere on Vanua Levu. The same survey teams that found the swallowtail discovered four nests of this species which should be classified as Critically Endangered bird. Given that the new swallowtail has only been found in Natewa it too will shortly be classified as Critically Endangered.

Gilbert Vakalalabure, head of the Nambu Conservation Trust has been the driver behind a movement of local mataqali (family land-owners that own most of the land on Fiji) to have the Natewa Peninsula declared as a National Park and was very excited about this new discovery.

The discovery of this spectacular new butterfly will put us on the conservation map and help attract visitors.  We have already developed annual visits by international teams of students to Natewa and even spun off part of this as a self-sustaining business. If the whole area could be designated as a National Park, that would really increase visitors to this unique area, provide much-needed income to the local communities and help them maintain the area. Now we have this spectacular and iconic butterfly we have our logo for the new park.