The South Pacific Regional Herbarium (SPRH), previously known as the Fiji Herbarium, was established in 1933 by botanist B. E. V. Parham of the Fiji Department of Agriculture. The University of the South Pacific, through the Institute of Applied Sciences, assumed responsibility for the maintenance and administration of the facility in 1982. It serves the university’s twelve member countries and is a member of a global network of herbaria, and bears the international herbarium code ‘SUVA’.

The SPRH acts as a repository for permanent voucher specimens of plants that are representative of the flora of the Pacific Islands region, including those plant species that are unique, rare, and threatened. It is an important reference collection and storehouse of information pertaining to taxonomy, conservation, ecology, climate change, and ethnobotany of the Pacific Island plants. It maintains an extensive collection of preserved and identified plant specimens from around the region and currently houses more than 80,000 plant specimens.

Services provided by the SPRH include plant identification, biodiversity assessment surveys, para-taxonomy training in botany, environmental impact assessment of plants, conservation of endangered plants and their ecosystems, and vegetation ecology research and monitoring. The SPRH is headed by the curator, Marika Tuiwawa, a botanist and ecologist with more than thirty years’ experience in Fiji and the Pacific. His team is comprised of local specialists in a wide range of taxa including vascular plants, bryophytes, birds, bats, freshwater fish and invertebrates, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

Contact Person:    

We provide high quality applied scientific services through:

• conserving, discovering and sharing knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life and to discover new information about plants, promoting the efforts of the botanical research community, and disseminating information to a wide range of potential recipients.

Sovi Basin Plot Monitoring

The National Trust of Fiji organized a revisit to the Sovi Basin in February to capture monitoring data in the plots that were not assessed in 2015. This also allowed the opportunity for further plant, insect and bryophyte collection.

External links:

http://www.conservation.org/projects/Pages/sustainable-development-for-fiji-people-sovi-basin.aspx

https://www.cbd.int/financial/trustfunds/Fiji-sovifund.pdf

https://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/pa/wspapac-01/other/wspapac-01-sbtf-en.pdf

https://issuu.com/nationalheritagefiji/docs/sovi_newsletter_volume_1_feb__2015

Samoa Flora Project  l

The National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai, organized a flora expedition on Upolu and Savai’I on Samoa. Our local bryophyte specialist, was the recipient of their fellowship award to join the six-week expedition, which provided the opportunity to collect bryophytes from various habitats and localities on the two main islands of Samoa. 

Sovi Basin Plot Monitoring:

Through the support of FAO, reassessment of the long-term monitoring plots of the Sovi Basin Protected Area was conducted by team members from the herbarium unit and the National Trust of Fiji. It was also an opportunity for further specimen collection and report on the current state of the biological diversity within the protected area.

External links:

http://www.conservation.org/projects/Pages/sustainable-development-for-fiji-people-sovi-basin.aspx

https://www.cbd.int/financial/trustfunds/Fiji-sovifund.pdf

https://issuu.com/nationalheritagefiji/docs/sovi_newsletter_volume_1_feb__2015

https://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/pa/wspapac-01/other/wspapac-01-sbtf-en.pdf

Expedition to the Solomon Islands

The South Pacific Regional Herbarium coordinated a historic, biological expedition, funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the USP Research Office, to the interior of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The purpose of the expedition was to investigate the diverse flora and fauna of this biological hotspot.
More here https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=6380&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=2265&cHash=87612a573c12192f7cbfc0ef5b24e9b2

and here https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=6380&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=2817&cHash=b8da1ddb6aeb8f759373035b8d89f90d. 

External links:

http://www.usp.ac.fj/news/story.php?id=1955#.WXApDYSGOxg

https://www.iucn.org/content/usp-leads-expedition-guadalcanal-solomon-islands

http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2015/10/23/expedition-to-the-solomon-islands/

https://research.jcu.edu.au/tropwater/news-and-events/solomon-island-rapid-biodiversity-survey-a-success

REDD+ Emalu Grassland Survey

A rapid biodiversity assessment and archaeological survey was conducted on the Emalu grassland, a REDD+ pilot study site, in the Noikoro District of the Navosa Province on Viti Levu.

External links:

http://fiji-reddplus.org/content/surveys-carried-out-navosa-grasslands-preparation-land-use-planning

REDD+ Emalu Forest Survey

A rapid biodiversity assessment and archaeological survey was done on a Fiji REDD+ Pilot Site - the Emalu forest area on Viti Levu. This survey was the second phase to the assessment that was done in 2012.

Delaikoro Biodiversity Rapid Assessment, Socioeconomic Study and Archaeological Survey

The Global Environment Facility, through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, funded this project to assess the biological diversity and conduct the socio-economic and archaeological survey of the Delaikoro mountain ecosystem on Vanua Levu, a proposed protected area.

REDD+ Vunivia Forest Survey

A rapid biodiversity assessment, archaeological survey and socio-political study of a Fiji REDD+ pilot site was conducted in Vunivia on Vanua Levu.

New Range Extensions

Vegetation surveys, headed by herbarium curator Marika Tuiwawa and consultant Senilolia Tuiwawa, in Emalu, in the province of Nadroga-Navosa, revealed the presence of some botanically important plant species.  These important range extension discoveries were made for two endemic species on the IUCN Red List; Acmopyle sahniana and Degeneria vitiensis; as well as two other rare endemic palms whose Red List status is currently under review (Cyphosperma naboutinense and Metroxylon vitiensis).  A new range extension to an altitude of 700m was also recorded for the orchid Nervilia cf. aragoana, which has previously only been recorded from altitudes below 400m.  Another range extension is of the horsetail, Equisetum ramossimum subsp. debile  previously recorded from the provinces of Namosi, Naitasiri and Ba.  One other plant species was collected which is the most recent record and new range extension for the ground orchid Macodes cf. petola. This is a very rare species and one not normally seen in the forest.

Fiji Liveworts New Findings

Three new occurrence records were made for Fiji liverworts. MSc student, Mereia Katafono, discovered these new finds for Fiji during the process of identifying several hundred moss and liverwort samples collected during her fieldwork.  The three liverworts were all collected from Vago Forest Reserve in the province of Naitasiri.  One of them, not yet identified to species level, belongs to the genus Cephaloziella, and is the first member of this genus to be found in Fiji.  Two other species (Telaranea tasmanica and Telaranea aff. Granulate) have also never been found in Fiji before.

New Findings in Habitat Ecology, and Plant-animal Interactions

During fieldwork in the Rewa delta as part of the IUCN MESCAL project, MSc student Lekima Copeland recorded a new addition to the brackish water fishes of Fiji; the sweetlip Plectorhinchus albovittatus. Previously this species was only known in Fiji from reef habitats. The finding of a juvenile specimen in the brackish delta waters expands our knowledge of the life cycle requirements of this species and highlights the importance of the mangrove ecosystem as a nursery for juvenile reef fishes.

Two significant breakthroughs were made in the CEPF-funded project ‘Conservation of Fiji’s Endemic and Rare Butterflies: Hypolimnas inopinata and Papilio schmeltzi’, which is coordinated by Hilda Sakiti-Waqa. The identity of the host plant of H. inopinata has now been determined conclusively to be Elatostema nemorosum Seem., an endemic member of the nettle family (Urticaceae).  Additionally, the life cycle of this rare butterfly has been comprehensively documented, with larval instars, pupa and egg stages identified and their morphology fully recorded.

Emalu REDD+

An initial rapid biodiversity assessment and archaeological survey was done on the Emalu forest area in the Navosa province on Viti Levu

MESCAL project – Rewa river delta

This project was implemented by the IUCN Oceania to conduct preliminary assessments of biomass and carbon inventory in mangrove forests.

External links:

http://theredddesk.org/countries/initiatives/mangrove-ecosystem-conservation-and-livelihoods-mescal-project

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/mescal_brochure_030810_compressed.pdf

https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/mangroves_biodiversity_assessment_report_fiji.pdf 

MESCAL Mangrove Project and the World Bank REDD+ project (to assess standing carbon stocks in an interior forest)

IAS also continued to develop expertise in community-based economic analysis, working with Landcare NZ in 2012 to assess the economic impact of invasive species and with Landcare NZ and PACE-SD (USP) to study cost-benefit analysis of various approaches to disaster risk reduction.

IAS staff also continued studies on butterflies, cloud forest biodiversity and the impacts of locally-managed marine areas.

East Melanesia Conservation Investment Strategy : Critical Environment Partnership Fund

The IAS team was requested by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to manage the development of a regional profile and investment strategy for the Eastern Melanesian Islands, which includes Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.  CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Dévelopment, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank.  A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.  USP lead regional, national and community meetings to entertain views on how civil society could best be supported to carry out biodiversity conservation.  Its report was presented to the heads of the above organizations in December, 2012 and was very positively received; US$9 million was allocated to carry out the suggested investment strategy.

Potential New Species of Aquatic Gastropods

Three potentially new species of aquatic gastropods in the genus Fluviopupa  (Family Taetidae) were collected during a biodiversity assessment of streams in Emalu, in the province of Nadroga-Navosa.  The collections were made by MSc student Bindiya Rashni.  Preliminary identification work suggests that these could be three species new to science and endemic to Fiji. Bindiya also carried out freshwater macroinvertebrate surveys in Kadavu which yielded a larval specimen from the family of aquatic insects known as Crambidae, which were previously unrecorded in Fiji. The larva is yet to be identified to genus or species level, but preliminary analysis reveals a relationship with members of the genus Hygraula, which is found in New Zealand.Three potentially new species of aquatic gastropods in the genus Fluviopupa (Family Taetidae) were collected during a biodiversity assessment of streams in Emalu, in the province of Nadroga-Navosa. The collections were made by MSc student Bindiya Rashni.  Preliminary identification work suggests that these could be three species new to science and endemic to Fiji. Bindiya also carried out freshwater macroinvertebrate surveys in Kadavu which yielded a larval specimen from the family of aquatic insects known as Crambidae, which were previously unrecorded in Fiji.  The larva is yet to be identified to genus or species level, but preliminary analysis reveals a relationship with members of the genus Hygraula, which is found in New Zealand.

Botanical Assessment

The highlight of a recent rapid botanical assessment survey to Kadavu island by the herbarium team, resulted in the discovery of a potentially new and unique species of Medinilla sp. (plant related to the tagimoucia) that has white flowers. The plant specimen collected from this species is currently being taxonomically assessed.

Southern Lau Expedition

As part of the baseline survey of the Southern Lau group for terrestrial and marine resources, with various government ministries and NGOs, the herbarium provided financial support and expertise in the fields of plant and vegetation ecology, mammology and entomology.

External links: 

http://www.conservation.org/publications/Documents/lessonsLearned/CI_CEPF_Biodiversity_Conservation_Lessons-22-Southern-Lau.pdf

http://www.cepf.net/SiteCollectionDocuments/poly_micro/FinalCompletionReport_USP_RapidBiologicalAssessmentSurveySouthernLauFiji.pdf 

Biodiversity Studies of Fiji Cryptogams & Pteridophytes

An international team of collaborators, led by Dr. Matt von Konrat of Chicago’s Field Museum, together with a team from the South Pacific Regional Herbarium, spent four weeks carrying out field work on Viti Levu and Kadavu, collecting bryophytes, lichens and ferns. The bryophytes and lichens, which are poorly known from Fiji and the tropical Pacific region, were the main focus of this expedition. Documenting the diversity and distribution of these tiny plants is vital for our understanding of their ecological significance, including their potential to act as indicators of climate change.

External links:     

https://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/blog/video-botanical-exploration-fiji

https://www.fieldmuseum.org/biodiversity-studies-fiji-cryptogams-ferns-bryophytes-and-lichens

http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2011/09/19/ferning-in-fiji/ 

http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2011/09/20/up-the-volcano-fiji-ferns-ii/

Conservation International (CI)

The Herbarium staff have received funding from Conservation International (CI) to undertake studies on the biodiversity of Fiji’s montane rain forest and to study the conservation of two endangered butterflies in Fiji.

Lau Biodiversity Survey :  CI/USP

Another grant from CI helped support a biodiversity survey of Southern Lau in Fiji.  The Lau group are an outer island group of Fiji far from the capital and the most recent biodiversity study had been undertaken in 1924.  In 2007 a survey was done of the northern Lau islands and in 2009 central Lau.  These surveys involve about twenty scientists who live aboard a research vessel for one month as it moves among the small islands.  Hundreds of new species not previously known to exist in the Lau group have been documented and priority areas for conservation identified.  Marine samples were also collected for drug discovery work.

Darwin Initiative project: 'Focus on Fiji: Insect Inventories for Biodiversity Assessment

IAS also has two major projects funded by the UK-based Darwin Initiative.  Under one several people are being trained in entomology and insect collections have been made in ten locations.  Under work on the second project a Postgraduate Diploma in protected area management has been developed and the year-long Pacific Island Community-based Conservation Course was offered for the fifth time for sixteen Pacific islanders in 2009.