Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Rainforest and a gold dove
from Fijian Forests
Wildlife Conservation Society
Our expeditions into Fiji’s forested areas revealed that small-scale logging was occurring in remote areas, much of it in violation of Fiji’s National Code of Logging Practices and not in accordance with Fiji’s Forest Function zones based on a Forestry Department effort several years ago to delineate forest ‘reserves’ and guide licensing decisions. Existing maps of logging roads greatly underestimated the reality on the ground.
Fiji’s fauna, mainly birds, invertebrates and certain palms, have been severely impacted by the introduction of rats. Other threats include low levels of economic development in the local communities, numerous illegal or poorly managed logging operations, and several proposed mining and hydropower schemes.