FIJI TO JOIN GLOBAL EFFORTS TO CELEBRATE WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
WE ARE A PARTY TO THE CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS) AND THE RAMSAR CONVENTION ON WETLANDS OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE.
Environment Minister Mahendra Reddy acknowledged that days are set aside to raise awareness on the importance of migratory birds, in particular their roles in connecting critical ecosystems, threats faced by migratory birds and need to maintain the ecological functions of their habitats.
Fiji will join efforts globally to celebrate the World Migratory Bird Day which is commemorated in May and October. In making this announcement, Environment Minister Mahendra Reddy acknowledged that days are set aside to raise awareness on the importance of migratory birds, in particular their roles in connecting critical ecosystems, threats faced by migratory birds and need to maintain the ecological functions of their habitats.
Birds connect our world
This year’s theme on “Birds Connects Our world” highlights that birds play an important role in ecological connectivity (through their migratory pathways) – with no limits to boundaries and national jurisdictions.
It reiterates the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and ecosystems across landscape and seascape that support essential ecosystem services that are essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds
“It further reminds us that the planet Earth represents nature and natural processes that are interlinked and inter-dependent, connecting countries, habitats, species diversity, people, communities and cultures – a concept too often neglected and undermined in our daily lives. Just few days back, a bird landed in China completing a 8000 km journey from Kenya.
“The bird departed Kenya on April 29, crossed the Arabian Sea, the Indian Subcontinent, the Himalayas and landed in China on May 4,” he said.
FIJI’S EFFORTS: Collective regional action
Fiji is a party to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals since April 2013, and together with other signatories in the region, promotes cooperation and partnership to protect migratory species, including their journeys, their habitats their feeding and breeding grounds.
Regional co-operation is essential for the Pacific Islands, as our region is home to many migratory marine and terrestrial species.
“Given the nature of migratory species, no single country has sole control over these species, but together we have a collective responsibility to care for them and appreciate how these species enrich our lives, our cultures and our spirits. Such co-operative efforts, action and commitments, are essential to give our migratory species a fighting chance for survival,” Mr Reddy explained.
With declining global bird populations, we must appreciate the importance of birds to Fiji, address issues that contribute to its decline, as such, we have several migratory bird species that have been enlisted as endangered or threatened with extinction under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices, our commitment to protect these species.
Birds – cultural and economic opportunities
“In our indigenous/traditional cultural context, birds are regarded as a totem to represent one’s identity, historical pathways and tribal relations. Birds are also regarded as indicator species to help determine the health and serenity of an ecosystem and the level of threats a particular ecosystem is subjected to (CMS Secretariat, 2018).
“Birds are equally important to our tourism industry. Fiji is an exciting destination for most birdwatchers from abroad, who come to observe the migratory and native forest birds and also to have a chance of finding the critically endangered Fiji petrel.
The Fiji Petrel is an enigma for birders. Not seen for 100 years until sighting in 1984.
There have been very few subsequent sightings of this bird since. Some detailed work in 2010 located a site where birds could be seen some 10 to 20km south of the island of Gau. Otherwise, we still know very little about this species and its habitat requirements.”
Given our geographical context, the forest bird species vary from island to island – so most birdwatchers would want to spend some time in Taveuni, some in Viti Levu and some in Kadavu.
Protecting birds
Fiji is home to 166 bird species, some of which breed only in Fiji and nowhere else in the world. Seventythree of these birds are believed to visit Fiji at some point in their life cycle, although they breed elsewhere. Our partner non-government organisations - Birdlife International and NatureFiji-MareqetiViti have reported that five migratory shorebirds migrate to Fiji annually beginning their journey back from their breeding grounds in Alaska and Siberia.
The five migratory shorebirds are the Bar-tailed Godwit, Bristle-thighed Curlew, Pacific Golden Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Wandering Tattler. Of these, the Tattler is the most interesting – it is usually a solitary shorebird that occurs at low densities on rocky foreshore areas throughout the Pacific. Here, in Suva, at Nasese Foreshore is the highest known concentration of wandering tattlers anywhere in the world (250 to 300 birds).
This is what makes the Nasese Foreshore globally important.
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a recordholding bird - when it travels to the South Pacific, it makes the longest non-stop flight of any bird, covering over 7000 miles in about seven to nine days.
These birds feed on our rich mudflats along the Nasese Foreshore, in the Rewa Delta (around Nasoata Island) and the Upper Navua Conservation Area.
According to Dr Mark O’Brien, Regional Programme Coordinator for Birdlife International, the shorebirds leave Nasese sometime between the end of March and mid-May to travel north thousands of kilometres to Japan, China or Korea for a stopover before arriving at their breeding grounds.
They return to Nasese sometime from the end of August until the end of September – staying at, and feeding on Nasese until it is time to travel back north to breed. Occasionally there are other species of shorebirds in among these ‘BIG 5’ – which is what makes shorebird watching at Nasese so interesting.
Fiji’s commitment
Fiji is a party to the Convention on Migratory Species and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
Through the Department of Environment, the national focal point for both Conventions, Fiji works with local and international partners, contributing to global efforts in the conservation and management of migratory species in particular whales, sharks, turtles and birds. Furthermore, through Ramsar Convention, conservation of habitats, critical in supporting pathways for many of these migratory species are listed for conservation and protection.