Abstract for presentation at Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference - A Pacific Response

The family Iguanidae comprises some of the largest, most spectacular and also the most threatened lizards in the world, with many species dependant on ongoing conservation initiatives for their survival. Such management programs are necessarily based on rigorous scientific research on both wild and captive populations. Gathering information on reproduction from wild populations provides a more comprhensive picture of ecological requirements and has proved critical to the successful conservation of iguana species in the New World. The Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) is endemic to Fiji and classed as critically endangered. Although there is considerable Fijian and international interest in their conservation, little information has been gathered on crested iguanas in their natural habitat. As part of a project aimed at providing data to aid in a science-based species recovery plan we investigated the nesting ecology of Fijian crested iguanas on the tiny and remote island of Yadua Taba, home to the largest remaining wild population.
We recorded the first information on Fijian crested iguana nesting ecology in the wild. Nests were located in the Wet season and monitored throughout incubation until hatchlings emerged during the following Wet. Factors influencing nest site preference were investigated and data recorded on hatching success and hatchling size. Management implications of this study for Yadua Taba will be discussed and placed in the broader context of the conservation plan for this species and iguana conservation worldwide.