Fiji Petrel (Pseudobulweria Macgillivrayi)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 0925684

This application is a BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme priority project for one of the world’s 190 Critically Endangered bird species. NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is the membership-based working arm of the Fiji Nature Conservation Trust, registered under the Charitable Trust Act (Cap 67) in June 2007. The mission of the Fiji Nature Conservation Trust is to enhance biodiversity and habitat conservation, endangered species protection and sustainable use of natural resources of the Fiji Islands for the benefit of communities and the Fijian people. The five strategic objectives that currently drive our work are: 1. NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is an established membership-based and sustainablymanaged organisation, with productive partnerships with key national and international stakeholders; 2. Fiji’s children, landowners, general public and elected leaders have an enhanced understanding and awareness on the value of, and the need for, natural heritage conservation. 3. Fiji’s diverse forest and river habitats represented in a protected area network. 4. Extinction risk reduced for Fiji’s priority threatened species. 5. Sustainable management of Fiji’s forest and island ecosystems of national heritage importance. NFMV has an Annual Plan and a Strategic Plan (may be downloaded from the website – www.naturefiji.org ) which detail aims and objectives. The Fiji Nature Conservation Trust was registered on June 26th 2007 and the organization, as NatureFiji-MareqetiViti (NFMV) was launched the following week. Geographical scope covers the entire Fiji Islands Although NFMV is a young organisation it is already implementing five projects in the rural areas of Fiji. These include: 1) Endangered Species of Fiji – the compilation of information on 50 of Fiji’s most endangered species – presented on a CD Rom (and available on the website) – distributed to all the schools in Fiji. 2) “Conservation and sustainable management of the endangered, endemic Fiji Sago Palm” funded by the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust and latterly by the British High Commission. 3) Research of the Fiji Flying Fox Mirimiri acrodonta (an endemic, monotypic species) found only on Taveuni island, funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). 4) “Tomanivi Site Support Group” which involves working with landowners, especially the youth to support the Tomanivi IBA and National Park. 4 5) “Permanent Forests Project” which is funded by the Jensen Foundation – this project sees NFMV support the Forestry Department’s new national policy which is to create Permanent Forest Estates rather than piecemeal exploitation. 6) The “Fiji Petrel Recovery Project” - Dick Watling, NFMV’s Director, initiated work with the Fiji Petrel in 1983, re-discovered this ‘lost’ species in the following year and has undertaken, directed or advised on all work on the Fiji Petrel since that time. Current initiative is funded by the Disney Foundation, the British Birdwatching Fair (both minor funding now completed) and imminent significant funding by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). This application covers important funding which the CEPF has not been able to fund.