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 | | Plant diversity conservation | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi, Plant conservation | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi
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|  | Plant diversity, vegetation types and conservation importance of lowland forest fragments in Dreketi District, Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands
Author: Longsworth, Leomar Leuther
Institution: The University of the South Pacific
Award: M.Sc. Environmental Science
Subject: Plant diversity conservation | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi, Plant conservation | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi, Forest biodiversity conservation | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi, Forest plants | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi, Forest conservation | Fiji | Vanua Levu | Dreketi
Date: 2018
Call No.: Pac QK 473 .F5 L66 2018
BRN: 1361111
Copyright:Under 10% of this thesis may be copied without the authors written permission
Abstract: The plant diversity, vegetation type and conservation importance of remnant forests in the Dreketi District, Vanua Levu, Fiji were investigated. Ten remnant forest fragments were assessed using Gentry’s transect method (0.1 ha per fragment). A total of 139 species and 24 distinct morphospecies ≥2.5 cm diameter at breast height were identified from all 10 fragments. Only seven of those species were exotic namely Adenanthera pavonina, Samanea saman, Cinnamomum verum, Cordyline fruticosa, Morinda citrifolia, Piper aduncum and Spathodea campanulata. Rubiaceae (12 spp.), Sapindaceae (8 spp.), Caesalpiniaceae (7 spp.) and Euphorbiaceae (7 spp.) were the most speciose families while Myrtaceae (296 stems), Lauraceae (273 stems) and Myristicaceae (222 stems) were the most abundant families; however, no family distinctly dominated any of the fragments. 95% of all identified species were indigenous with 50% being endemic to Fiji. Some narrowly distributed species such as Macaranga membranacea, Veitchia filifera and Syzygium dubium were identified which are found only on Vanua Levu (in some cases on the adjacent island of Taveuni) and six rare and globally threatened IUCN Red Listed species were identified (Gardenia hillii, Neuburgia alata, Cycas seemannii, Storckiella vitiensis, Intsia bijuga and Agathis macrophylla) along with a globally near threatened IUCN Red Listed species Fagraea gracilipes.
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