Fiji is home to just two species of swallowtail – amongst them the Natewa Swallowtail, a large and elegant black and cream butterfly. The species was first spotted in 2017 by ornithologist Greg Kerr and it was the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust (SBBT) who recognised it as new to science in 2018.
Building on the survey work initiated by Operation Wallacea, local entomologists sought to find out more about this new species. SBBT’s own Clive Huggins visited Vanua Levu island in 2019 with Operation Wallacea to help collect vital data about the butterflies population and distribution.
With the help of local guides, Clive confirmed this Swallowtail only occurs in a limited area of forest on the Natewa Peninsula where all land is owned by the local communities. The next step was to meet with local leaders to discuss conservation of this important species and to get their permission to enter their land.
In 2020, SBBT’s Honorary Coordinator Richard Markham brought the necessary Fijian parties together to coordinate the use of funding offered by South Pacific Community (SPC) for construction of the butterfly house, tree nursery, and an ecotourist reception centre on land provided by the local village community.
Richard and his team, supported by SBBT, worked closely with the local community, Fiji government departments and South Pacific Community organisation, without which the project would not have continued, and the building was completed in early 2021.
With funding from SBBT to cover maintenance and planting of the butterfly house, vital work could begin needed to make the butterfly house a breeding centre to boost populations of the Natewa Swallowtail, as well as displaying other endemic butterflies to create an ecotourism attraction.
In 2022 SBBT funded a NatureFiji intern for a 6 month study on the Natewa Swallowtail and to involve the local village community in supervising the butterfly breeding facility and ecotourism ventures. Clive Huggins also carried out a second in-depth search for ecological data, including seeking much-needed information of the foodplant, a forest tree that has yet to be identified.
Sadly, increasing rates of forest clearance have taken place over the last few years for Kava plantations, threatening the future of the Natewa Swallowtail. Kava has long been produced as part of a South Pacific local tradition but since the pandemic there has been even greater demand, making it a lucrative export crop. SBBT is currently assisting a programme to use land in a sustainable manner without felling original forest and there are ongoing educational programmes funded which promote sustainable farming and conservation practices, in conjunction with Kokomana’s sustainable cocoa production. Furthermore the British High Commission has agreed funding through UK-FCDO for agroforestry and reforestation corridors, supervised by Kokomana, work on this has commenced to include butterfly hostplants, from the coastal Vusaratu village up to the ridge connecting with the remaining forest. However, it is an ongoing project to protect this incredible species.
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