Fiji

Oceanía

153

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Fiji is an archipelago of more than three hundred islands of volcanic origin, of which only a third are inhabited. The large islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, have a mountainous interior with rainforest on the windward slope and savannah and dry forest on the leeward one, a contrast set by the trade winds. That dry forest, today greatly reduced, is one of the most threatened habitats in the Pacific. The Fijian reefs, among them the Great Astrolabe Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the world, sustain spectacular soft corals and sharks. The waters of Beqa hold one of the most studied bull shark aggregations on the planet, inside a protected area managed by the coastal communities.

The nature of Fiji

National animal: No official national animal; the Fijian crested iguana is the archipelago's emblematic species

Did you know?

The iguanas of Fiji are a biogeographical puzzle: their closest living relatives are in the Americas, more than nine thousand kilometres away across the open Pacific. The most widely accepted explanation is that their ancestors crossed the ocean on rafts of vegetation carried by the currents, in one of the longest colonising voyages ever proposed for a land vertebrate.

Biodiversity profile

Melanesia/Polinesia (limite geografico)Dato no disponible con precision en fuentes verificadas consultadas

Climate

•Tropical de selva lluviosa (Af) en costas de barlovento
•Tropical de sabana (Aw) en costas de sotavento, mas seco

Main biomes

•Bosque tropical humedo (cubre casi la mitad del territorio)
•Pastizales secos en zonas occidentales de las islas mayores
•Manglares costeros (terceros mas extensos del Pacifico insular, ~517 km2)
•Selva húmeda tropical
•Bosque seco tropical
•Arrecife barrera
•Manglar costero
•Isla volcánica
•Laguna coralina
•Bosque de montaña

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Arrecifes de coral (mas de 1.000 identificados)
•Estuarios
•Praderas de fanerogamas marinas
•Lagunas

Flagship wildlife

•Iguana crestada de Fiyi
•Murcielago frugivoro de Fiyi
•Loro musgo
•Tortuga marina verde y carey
•Iguana bandeada de Fiyi
•Tiburón toro
•Tortuga carey
•Zorro volador de Fiyi
•Loro musschenbroekii
•Ballena jorobada
•Tortuga verde
•Halcón de Fiyi
•Petrel de Fiyi

Notable endemic species

•Iguana crestada de Fiyi (genero endemico)
•Varias especies de aves y reptiles propias de islas especificas del archipielago
•Petrel de Fiyi
•Rana arborícola de Fiyi
•Zorro volador monoespecífico de Taveuni

Notable threatened species

•Iguana crestada de Fiyi (En Peligro)
•Tortugas marinas (varias especies En Peligro/En Peligro Critico)
•Endemismo marino relativamente bajo pero fauna terrestre insular muy vulnerable

Notable protected areas

•Cuenca de Sovi (reserva de bosque humedo, fuente de agua dulce para mas de 300.000 personas)
•Red de Areas Marinas Gestionadas Localmente (FLMMA)
•Paisaje marino de Lau
•Parque Nacional del Patrimonio de Bouma
•Isla de Yadua Taba
•Gran Arrecife Astrolabe
•Parque Nacional de Sigatoka
•Reserva de Tiburones de Shark Reef
•Reserva Forestal de Koroyanitu

Main conservation threats

•Sobreexplotacion pesquera
•Externalidades agricolas y forestales
•Cambio climatico y aumento del nivel del mar (riesgo alto por ser nacion insular)
•Degradacion de manglares

Notable natural phenomena

•Ciclones tropicales estacionales
•Blanqueamiento coralino periodico

Conservation

The islet of Yadua Taba, free of goats and rats, concentrates most of the world population of Fijian crested iguana. The marine areas managed by the villages, with traditional temporary closures, have been shown to restore fish populations quickly.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Beqa year-round for bull sharks on regulated dives. Bouma in the dry season for forest birds. The waters of Vanua Levu between July and September for humpback whales.

Bajo endemismo marino relativo (fauna muy compartida con el Pacifico occidental), pero alto valor de habitat regional segun BIODEV2030.

Sources: Conservation International - Fiji | BIODEV2030 | farandawayadventures.com (sintesis, verificar con fuente primaria)

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