Welcome to the Fijian Crested Iguana Project web site.
Browse the links above to learn more about the Fijian crested iguana, previous conservation efforts, and the current aims and objectives of this project, project updates and a colourful picture gallery. You can also read about the organizations involved and search through related information via our contributors web sites.
Enjoy!
Why are they so special?
Many people know of iguanas through Darwin’s work on the marine iguanas in the Galapagos islands or from their own travels to Central and South American or the Caribbean. Few people however, are aware that far away two species of iguana survive on tiny tropical islands, isolated from their New World cousins by the mighty Pacific Ocean.
How did they get there? For many years it was assumed that iguanas evolved in the New World, providing an appealing image of iguanas surfing their way from the Americas to the South Pacific on the South Equatorial current. This long held theory has recently been challenged by the discovery of an ancient iguanid fossil in Mongolia and it has been suggested that iguanas crossed from Asia into the New World where they speciated. In this scenario the iguanas in Fiji were the ones that didn’t join the trip and instead stayed in Asia, eventually heading south until they reached Fiji.
The time scale of these movements is over millions of years and although where they came from is still up for debate there is no doubt that the South Pacific iguanas are very distinct both geographically and genetically from the New World species.
01.01.08
End of Fieldwork!
The 4th and final phase of fieldwork was completed in September 2007 and the F.C.I.P. team is back in Australia again! We will spend 2008 analysing the data and publishing the findings from the 4 field trips. There will be a brief visit to Fiji around the middle of the year to present the information.!
>>read more
20.03.07
Third field season completed!
The F.C.I.P. team is back in Australia after successfully completing the third field season. The data collected from this trip, on Iguana movement, demography and nesting, Pacific rats, plant phenology and crazy ants, is now being analysed. This data will then be compared to the data from the two trips during the previous wet season (2005-2008) in order to help understand how iguanas are effected by annual and seasonal variations.
During this trip the team experienced a Fijian Christmas, New Year and Coup d’etat!
>>read more
02.05.06
Iguana nests recorded for the first time in the wild!!
In February 2008 during Phase 2, the first records of Fijian iguana nests were recorded from Yadua Taba. The team found 14 nests scattered across the island. These were marked and are currently being monitored. On the upcoming field trip, the nests will be visited again to collect information on hatching success rates.
>>read more
18.04.06
Wet and wild: Second field season completed successfully!
The Phase 2 field trip, running from February – May 2008, was planned to coincide with the wet season on Yadua Taba and this was indeed the case. The Team received numerous soakings from sudden rain squalls and the new tent and tarpaulin arrangement of the field camp was definitely tested. Iguana activity seemed unaffected and fruit and flower production of the forest plants was prolific, providing a feast for herbivorous species.
>>read more
09.12.05
First field expedition a success!
The F.C.I.P. team returned home from the first phase of the project in early December 2005. The main objectives for the first Phase were to establish the foundations for the project, obtain all neccessary permits and begin groundwork data collection at the field location.
>>read more
> To watch a short movie of two male iguanas fighting during mating season click here!
16.08.05
Innovative on-line romote communications system to be developed.
Media and Communications Officer: Zachary Pierce has announced the development of a unique and highly innovative remote communications tool (in the form of an on-line internet application) to be used by the project team. Dubbed the 'Virtual Project' the software will allow an unprecedented level of easily accessed communication and data sharing between researchers at the extremely remote location on the island of Yadua with key project contributors around the globe. Also included in the software is a powerful publication tool that will be integral to the project's unique education and public awarness aspect that has already recieved such positive response from the conservation and scientific community.
Already, companies have come through with strong support and generous donations in the form of a small portable solar electric system to power the equipment needed as well as interst from the IT development community in Canberra — but as always, a low conservation project budge is hindering the planned development of the software and it may not be ready to be used until the project's second expedition (of six) to Fiji in early 2008. It is the hope of Mr. Pierce that the software can be tested and improved over the course of the three year project and shared as a valuable communications asset among the global conservation community.
Below is a simple diagram outlining how the software will utilize both existing and introduced high-tech infrastructure as the communications life-line of the project.
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