A ship full of researchers departed for Lau aboard the MV Lau Trader noon this week to capture biodiversity records of the province that will practically guide development initiatives.??The research outfit is spearheaded by the University of the South Pacific with representations from various universities around the world, Fiji’s Department of Fisheries and Forests and non government conservation societies.??USP official Marika Tuiwawa said the biodiversity survey was being carried out based on a request from the Lau Provincial Council.??The survey will cover both land and marine species on islands from Namuka to Ono-i-Lau.??“This particular phase of the work is the last section of the survey where we will be doing Southern Lau which starts from Namuka all the way down to Ono I Lau which also includes Yasayasa,” he said.??“One of the things we are going to do is to study the various groups of living things – from birds to reptiles, to snakes, plants and also includes the marine sector where we have specialists looking at coral, fish and other marine invertebrates.”??Professor Art Whistler from the Botany Department of the University of Hawaii said the research outing offered a valuable opportunity to look at the distribution of plant species and also gain knowledge about plants that may be endangered and need protection.??“All plants and animals are related together so if one disappears it affects the other,” he said.??“So first we want to find out what’s there and if it’s disappearing we want to do something about it.??“We don’t want to lose key biodiversity because when you pull out one plant you don’t know when the whole thing is going to fall down, so we want to find out how common plants are in an area so we can conserve them if they are endangered.”??Professor Mark Hay of the Georgia Institute of Technology said the survey was critical to conserving Fiji reefs.??“I’m a marine ecologist and we spend a lot of time looking at the interactions between fishes, and seaweeds and coral so we are, especially interested in the health and well being of coral reefs.??“In the Caribbean, where we work a lot, we have seen coral reefs go from about 60 per cent cover to just about 6 per cent cover, so basically Caribbean reefs have disappeared.??“So we are looking at Fijian reefs and understanding how they work so that we don’t come back here in 20 years time to see they’ve gone as well and so we are hoping to help preserve Fijian reefs and seeing how they work as well.”??Results of the research will also guide development plans for Lau and strengthen government’s database on species stocks that eventually influences policies on conservation.??“Practically this research will impinge a lot on the type of development that will take place in the whole group in terms of harvesting of marine resources,” Mr Tuiwawa said.??“The type of information that it will bring will allow for more research, especially the Department of Fisheries and Forestry on how much of resources it can take out or leave behind.??“It will identify areas of protection for the better management of resources.”? ?
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