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The Work Thus Far
Although local Fijians have long been aware of the existence of iguana species in Fiji, it wasn’t until 1800 that the banded iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus) was scientifically described. Another 180 years passed until scientist Dr. John Gibbons noticed that the iguanas he saw on the island of Yadua Taba were very different from the typical banded iguanas and in 1981 he described Fiji’s second iguana species, the Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis).
In 1980 through the efforts of Gibbons and the National Trust of Fiji, Yadua Taba was declared a wildlife sanctuary. An attempt was made to remove the free-ranging domestic goats (which belonged to the villagers on Yadua), and an honorary ranger was appointed.
Over the next few years Gibbons researched the crested iguana and reported that it was found on at least eight islands, but it seems most of these records were based on verbal reports from villagers. Tragically, John Gibbons, his wife Lily, and their two children drowned in a boating accident in Fiji in November 1986, and his notebooks and unpublished records were later destroyed.
 In September 2000, Peter Harlow in cooperation with the National Trust of Fiji, set out with a team of volunteers, staff, and students from the University of the South Pacific in Suva to verify these earlier distribution records of Gibbons, as well as to investigate other potential islands where crested iguanas may still occur. Only seven iguanas were found from all the islands surveyed and this suggests that crested iguanas are extremely rare or extinct throughout most of Fiji. The September 2000 iguana surveys found that the Crested Iguana Sanctuary of Yadua Taba held greater population densities than any other surveyed island and is believed to carry around 98% of the total species. Initially Gibbons estimated the total population of crested iguanas on Yadua Taba at between 100 and 200 adults. More recently, Harlow and Biciloa (2001) estimated a total population of between 4,800 and 7,900 iguanas.
Although Yadua Taba was declared Fiji’s first Wildlife Reserve under the Fijian National Trust in 1980 it was only recently that legal protection of the island was assured with the signing of a 33-year lease with the traditional owners. The importance of Yadua Taba for the long-term conservation of the Fijian crested iguana was obvious and in 1999 the International Conservation Fund for the Fijian Crested Iguana (ICFFCI) was established to assist in raising funds for the upkeep of the reserve and for an endangered species education program.
A management plan workshop for the conservation of the Fijian crested iguana was held in Fiji in November 2004. The meeting was co-hosted by the National Trust of Fiji and the Iguana Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Out of this meeting came the recommendation for a detailed study of the issues central to the conservation of the crested iguana.
Another key player in the effort to conserve Fijian crested iguanas has been Kula Eco Park situated on the island of Viti Levu. The Park currently houses a breeding colony of 28 Fijian crested iguanas, the largest captive population in the world. Along with the very important work of researching and breeding the captive iguanas, Kula has developed an excellent environmental education program, offered free to all Fijian children.
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