Summary Report - Ecological Solutions, Solomon Islands

Transcription

Choiseul Biological Expedition
October 2014,
SOLOMON ISLANDS:
Summary Report
Copyright Ecological Solutions - Solomon Islands (ESSI)
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
South Pacific Regional Environmental Program (SPREP), 2015
All rights for commercial/for profit reproduction or translation, in any form, reserved. ESSI, CEPF
and SPREP authorise the partial reproduction or translation of this material for scientific, educational
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acknowledge. Permission to reproduce the and/or translate in whole, in any form, whether for commercial
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not be altered or separately published without permission.
Original text: English
Edited by Boseto, D., Pikacha, P. (2015). Choiseul Biological Expedition
October 2014 Solomon Islands: Summary Report, Ecological Solutions
(Solomon Islands), PO Box 180, Gizo, Western Province, Solomon
Islands. ecologicalsolutions-si.com
Choiseul Biological
Expedition
October 2014, SOLOMON ISLANDS:
Summary Report
Edited by
David Boseto
Patrick Pikacha
Acknowledgements
First we would like to acknowledge the almost
20 customary landowners and tribes of Mount
Maetambe to Kolobangara River Watershed, Choiseul
(Solomon Islands) for allowing the expedition team
to enter their customary lands. We would also like
to thank the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal
Community, Choiseul Province and the Solomon
Islands Government for the support and facilitation
of the legal process that has allowed the expedition
team to conduct scientific research in Choiseul
Province. We thank all our partners, institutions,
museums, universities and collaborators for their
time, expertise and financial support. In particular
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) for
funding ESSI to lead this project in Choiseul Province.
4 | choiseul Expedition summary report • feb 2015
“The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint
initiative of l’’Agence Française de Développement,
Conservation International, the European Union,
the Global Environment Facility, the Government
of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the
World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil
society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.”
We acknowledge our partnership with Secretariat
of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP)
and thank them for financial support to conduct
community consultation meetings and for funding
local scientists and a government officer to be part
of the expedition.
Preface
The island of Choiseul in the north Solomon Islands has some of the most diverse forests. The
forest has been the target of developers particularly those in search of merchantable round logs.
As a result Choiseul Island has seen an alarming rise in deforestation due to extensive industrial
logging. Effects of logging, on both wildlife and human society carry negative impacts. Widespread
habitat loss, the introduction of pest species, and pollution and the increase of suspended solids
and sedimentation of clean streams are but some of these impacts. Socially logging tends to leave
behind a long history of animosity between tribes and individuals. Both environmental and social
impacts in the long term outweigh the economic benefits of logging.
Conversely Choiseul’s environment is tremendously
diverse. For example, Choiseul Island has a total
of 92 bird species, the highest for a single island
in the country. There are 24 mammals recorded
for Choiseul, 25 species of reptiles and 21 species
of frogs. Some of the most cryptic mammals
(genus Solomys), occur on Choiseul. The freshwater
ecosystem is amongst the most diverse in the South
Pacific Islands. ....species occur on Choiseul and
increasing. With each survey the floral count of
Choiseul is increasing. For example, new mangrove
species have been added to list for Choiseul.
Among the Choiseul Provincial Government, local
communities, and local organizations is a mounting
recognition of this unique biological diversity, and
the need to protect significant proportions of
what remains of forest and seascapes. But more
importantly, increasing awareness of biodiversity
and it’s contribution to the health of forest
ecosystems gives governments and resource owners
the information to plan and choose development
opportunities that are less destructive; and
development that enhances and benefits everyone
including women and children.
At present logging and other resource extractive
industries is depriving developing economies like the
Solomon Islands of revenue that should improve
basic livelihood and well being of rural communities.
And for a long time, emphasis of development in
the Solomon Islands has been greatly placed solely
on extractive industries alone.
The focus of this report is on the biodiversity of
Choiseul, on updating the species list of Choiseul
across five broad taxa, birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs,
freshwater vertebrates. It also draws attention to the
far-reaching consequences of environmental loss, at
the same time providing the provincial government
a brief extract of biodiversity assets of the province.
Providing this information to governing bodies
and resource managers has implications for local
economies and livelihoods, effective governance,
transparency and the rule of law.
A comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity
of Choiseul Island is essential to pattern, reinforce
and accelerate an effective strategy to successfully
tackle the issue of environmental loss in the
province. An important component of this process
was to bring together a team of experts to work on
different taxa’s in the field. This required an extensive
consultation process at all levels; village, community,
individual, provincial and national government,
and international institutions. This summary report
provides a meaningful contribution to meeting
Choiseul Province’s medium term goal, in addition
to national aspirations of better understanding
biodiversity and conservation efforts.
David Boseto and Patrick Pikacha
Ecological Solutions – Solomon Islands (ESSI)
E C O L O G I C ALS O LUTI O NS - SI . C O M | 5
Contents
4
5
7
9
10
11
13
16
24
29
Acknowledgements
Preface
Collaboration
Executive summary
Introduction
Objective
Avifauna
Herpetofauna
Mammals
Freshwater
Collaboration
The freshwater team, consisting of Solomon Island scientists and students, and experts from Paris Museum (France), James Cook
University (Australia), and Department of Conservation (New Zealand), at South Choiseul.
There were three teams that carried out biological
surveys at five different sites along the reef to ridge
corridor. Camp one was a few kilometers up the
Kolobangara River from Sasamunqa village. The
second camp was further upstream at Siporai. To get
to the camp the scientists had to walk all day, before
a boat was able to pick them up and take them
upstream. Here they continued with the surveys of
freshwater fishes, frogs, birds and mammals. A midstream camp was made further inland from Siporai
at Jito. Further upstream there was supposed to be
a camp at Koloma, but due to the remoteness and
insufficient time to access this site, we were not able
to make it here. There was another site at Sarelate
at the foothills of Mt Maetambe. This was perhaps
one of the hardest and longest hikes to the campsite.
Here the team was able to survey higher elevation
forests. This survey gradient along an elevation
translates to excellent sampling opportunities.
Hiking in the rainforest denotes a lot of things, and
indeed managing water intake and dehydration was
one. With the humidity almost continually reaching
100 percent, there was also heavy rainfall on a daily
basis. Coping with foot infections from walking
almost constantly in wet shoes was a challenge.
The participants included international groups
from the French Museum in Paris and James
Cook University working on freshwater fish and
crustaceans, the US Geological Service (USGS)
working on herpetofauna, University of Kansas
working on herpetofauna and birds, and an expert
on bats of Melanesia from the University of
Queensland. There were also local scientists and
students that collaborated with the experts from
overseas. Each sampling team had specialists on
them.
A herpetofauna, mammal and freshwater team, consisting of local scientists and experts from United States Geological Service/USGS
(USA), Kansas University/KU (USA), and University of Queensland/UQ (Australia), at South Choiseul.
A herpetofauna, mammal and avifauna team made up of local scientists, students and porters, and experts from USGS, KU and UQ at
the Gagara Training centre, North Choiseul, before leaving for Sarelata in the interior of Choiseul.
Executive summary
The island of Choiseul like most other provinces of the Solomon Islands is rich in
natural resources and a relatively intact environment. The majority of people on
the island are resource dependent, and rely on the ecosystem for basic services such
as food and access to clean water. Ecosystems form a crucial role for sustaining
livelihoods. However, gaining a better understanding of biodiversity assets including
knowing what species are found in the environment is critical for development and
planning. In terms of environmental sustainability, maintaining healthy ecosystems
offers the stage whereby upcoming food production and economies may be based.
Appreciating this necessity of better understanding it’s environment, the Choiseul
Provincial Government placed as one of its mid term goals in the period of 20122014 to document historical, cultural and ethniobiological data. A component of this
was to undertake a biodiversity survey to increase understand of Choiseul Island’s
ecosystem.
In collaboration with important stakeholders,
Ecological Solutions – Solomon Islands (ESSI)
a local organization lead an expedition from the
lower Kolobangara River to the central Choiseul
mountains. As a result of these surveys new lists
of species were added for Choiseul Island. A total
of 58 species of birds were recorded at two sites.
Like most islands in the Solomon Islands, there
was low species abundance. The shy black-faced
pitta (Pitta anerythra) was recorded at a single site in
mid-elevation forests. There was no sighting of the
Choiseul ground pigeon, which is most probably
extinct. There were 219 individuals from 16 species
of frogs, and five species of snakes, and 20 species
of lizards. Some frog species were new to science.
There were 13 mammals recorded during the
expedition, including one marsupial, one rodent and
11 bats.
Prior to this survey 41 species 28 genera, 15 families
of fish were recorded for Kolobangar River. This
survey has increased the total to 50 species of fish
from 31 genus and 13 families. Included are 18
species of crustacean from four genus and two
families, as well as seven species of decapods were
recorded during the expedition. This high number
of species is indicative of a healthy aquatic system.
There is need to continue to survey the headwaters
and tributories of the Kolobangara River, essentially
resulting in a management plan for this important
aquatic ecosystem.
There are serious threats to the forests of Choiseul.
Logging activities above the Kolobangara River and
surrounding forests threaten biodiversity and access
to clean streams. It is anticipated that this report
may assist the Choiseul Provincial Government and
landowners and support development opportunities
that are less destructive and that maintain ecosystem
functions.
Introduction
Fish, wildlife, and plants are a fundamental component
of ecosystems. They provide employment, food, fibre,
pure water, protection from storms, health benefits such
as medicines, recreation, and other essential services
that support provincial governments, communities and
individuals. Gaining an understanding of what is in the
environment, can help communities and governments
better plan and manage the environment.
To increase our knowledge
of species and biodiversity
assest, Ecological Solutions
- Solomon Islands (ESSI),
a local organization in the
month of October, 2014 led
a collaborative expedition that
undertook biological surveys
between the lower reaches of
the Kolobangara River to the
top of Choiseul Island’s central
mountains in the Solomon
Islands.
The
expedition
was
organized in partnership
with Lauru Land Conference
of
Tribal
Communities
(LLCTC), Choiseul Province
Government, South Pacific
Regional
Environment
Program (SPREP), United
States Geological Service
(USGS), Kansas University
(KU),
University
of
Queensland (UQ), James
Cook University (JCU), local
scientists, Solomon Islands
National University (SINU)
environment graduates, and
landowners of tribes along the
Kolobangara to Mt Maetambe
strip. This was the first baseline
biodiversity inventory of Mt
Maetambe-Kolobangara River
Corridor, and it provides an
updated checklist of species in
the area.
Objective
The objective of the expedition was to document
a baseline inventory of the flora and fauna in this
relatively unknown area of Choiseul Island. This was
a major undertaking, given the large territory covered.
This important survey was also
part of Choiseul Province’s
medium term development
plan 2012-2014. This includes
documentation of historical,
cultural and ethnobiological
data. The site is one of the
last vestiges of intact tropical
rainforest left in the entire
province. For that matter,
possibly one of the last large
swaths of unbroken forests left
in the entire country.
Avifauna
This section summarizes the findings of a bird survey during the Choiseul survey. The bird survey
was led by a team from Kansas University, which was a participant of the ESSI lead expedition.
Although there have been previous bird studies, this was an opportunity to investigate remote areas
that may have not been surveyed.
AUTHORS: Mark Robbins and Sahid Martin Roblles Bello
METHODS
Study area
This study was confined to the island of Choiseul,
and to specific sites at Sarelata in the centre of the
island, and in the lowlands in the lower reaches of
the Kolobangara River. Choiseul is the largest island
in the northwest Solomon Islands, and part of the
North Solomon Islands Arc, including Bougainville
and Isabel Islands. The North Solomon Islands arc
was connected by lowland forest during the Pleistocene when sea levels were much lower.
Survey method
Observations with the use of binoculars were used
to survey birds. Mist nets were also used to catch
and closely observe individual birds. The vegetation
of the sampling sites was also described. Three camera traps were also placed three different ridges and
baited with coconut biscuits. These will be left for a
period of 3 months and later collected.
Climate
The climate during the period of survey was characterized by sunshine in the morning and intermittent
to heavy showers in the afternoon. Air temperate in
the high mountains was generally cooler than the
lowland sites.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
A total of 58 species were recorded from the two
sampling sites. A total of 56 species was recorded
from the lowland rainforest and 36 species were re-
Black-faced Pitta (Pitta anerythra)
Stephens ground dove (Chalcophaps stephani)
corded from the mid-elevation rainforest. Species
abundance was lower at the mid-elevation rainforest could be attributed to the heavy rain during the
survey. The species abundance is also low compared
to similar elevation on other islands within the Solomon archipelago.
Table 1. Summary of Birds Observed in the two Sampling Sites
English
Scientific
Pacific Black Duck
Anas superciliosa
X
Melanesian scrubfowl
Megapodius eremita
X
Great Egret
Egretta alba
X
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
X
Rufous Night-Heron
Nycticorax caledonicus
X
Pacific Baza
Aviceda subcristata
X
Variable Sparrowhawk
Accipiter hiogaster
X
Imitator Sparrowhawk
Accipiter imitator
X
Brahminy Kite
Haliastur indus
X
Sanford’s Sea-Eagle
Haliaeetus sanfordi
Purple Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
X
Common sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
X
Sharp-tail sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
X
Crest Cuckoo-Dove
Reinwardtoena crassirostris
Stephan’s Dove
Chalcophaps stephani
X
X
Superb Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus superbus
X
X
Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus viridis
X
X
Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula rubricera
X
X
Island Imperial Pigeon
Ducula pistrinaria
X
Asian Koel
Eudynamys scolopaceus
X
Solomons Boobook
Ninox jacquinoti
X
X
Glossy Swiftlet
Collocalia esculenta
X
X
Uniform Swiftlet
Aerodramus vanikorensis
X
X
Moustached Treeswift
Hemiprocne mystacea
X
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
X
Little Kingfisher
Ceyx pusillus
X
Variable Dwarf-Kingfisher
Ceyx lepidus
X
X
Ultramarine Kingfisher
Todiramphus leucopygius
X
X
Collared Kingfisher
Todiramphus chloris
Dollarbird
Eurystomus orientalis
Blyth’s Hornbill
Aceros plicatus
X
X
Ducorps’s Cockatoo
Cacatua ducorpsii
X
X
Cardinal Lory
Chalcopsitta cardinalis
X
X
Rainbow Lorikeet
Trichoglossus haematodus
X
X
Finsch’s Pygmy-Parrot
Micropsitta finshcii
X
X
Singling Parrot
Geoffroyus heteroclitus
X
X
Eclectus Parrot
Eclectus roratus
X
X
Sarelata
X
Pisuku
X
X
X
X
Black-faced Pitta
Pitta anerythra
X
Red-capped Myzomela
Myzomela lafargei
X
X
Barred Cuckooshrike
Coracina lineata
X
X
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Solomons Cuckooshrike
Common Cicadabird
Oriole Whistler
Cockerell’s Fantail
Willie-wagtail
Chestnut-bellied Monarch
Black-and-White Monarch
Steel-blue Flycatcher
Guadalcanal Crow
Pacific Swallow
Yellow-throated White-eye
Metallic Starling
Singing Starling
Brown-winged Starling
Long-tailed Myna
Midget Flowerpecker
Olive-backed Sunbird
Total species: 58
Coracina papuensis
Coracina holopolium
Coracina tenuirostris
Pachycephala orioloides
Rhipidura cockerelli
Rhipidura leucophrys
Monarcha castaneiventris
Symposiachrus barbatus
Myiagra ferrocyanea
Corvus woodfordii
Hirundo tahitica
Zosterops metcalfii
Aplonis metallica
Aplonis cantoroides
Aplonis grandis
Mino kreffti
Dicaeum anenum
Cinnyris jugularis
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
36
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
56
Herpetofauna
This section of the report briefly summarizes the findings of the herpetological survey team
participating in the 2014 rapid bioinventory assessment of Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands. The
expedition was conceived, led, and organized by Ecological Solutions Solomon Islands (ESSI), the
Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities (LLCTC), the Choiseul Provincial Government, the
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and local landowners living
along the Kolombangara to Mt. Maetambe corridor on the south side of the island, and from Mt.
Maetambe to the coastal village of Ghaghara on the north side of the island. Survey efforts spanned
a range of elevation and habitat types that fell largely on a north/south axis across the central part
of the island.
AUTHORS: Jonathan Q. Richmond, Adam R. Backlin and Scott L. Travers
Although baseline knowledge of Choiseul’s
biodiversity has grown substantially in recent years,
much remains to be learned about the presence,
distribution and natural history of its fauna and flora.
Our contribution to the expedition was to provide
additional baseline data on the distribution of reptile
and amphibian taxa, for which Choiseul harbors one
of the most diverse herpetofaunal assemblages in all
of the Solomon Islands.
METHODS
We collected specimens mainly by walking and
visually surveying different habitat types while
flipping over fallen logs, leaf debris, and rocks. We
also scanned the vegetation up to heights of ~5.0
m to locate perched animals. Surveys took place
during the day and at night in all weather conditions,
although heavy down pours impeded our efforts on
several occasions (including our one opportunity to
survey above 700 m on Mt. Maetambe). For specimen
location data, we recorded GPS coordinates for
each of five main collecting sites and used those
coordinates as proxies for individual capture points
within a site (Table 1).
Necker’s wrinkled ground frog (Platymantis neckeri)
Lizard specimens were collected by hand or with
handheld nooses, elastic bands, or ‘sticky board’
transects. We placed sticky boards along transects that
consisted of 20-25 stations spaced 30 m apart, with
each station consisting of three boards positioned
as follows; directly on the ground, on a fallen log
(<2.0m from the ground), or on a tree trunk (>2.0m
above ground). Captures were recorded based on
the transect number, trap station, and location of
the traps to characterize the behavioral ecology of
different lizard species. On several occasions, we
randomly placed sticky boards in disturbed areas
to capture common species that occurred at high
density (i.e. E. caeruleocauda), or when there were
bouts of sunlight that would draw out certain species
(e.g. E. cyanogaster and E. nigra) that were otherwise
inactive during inclement weather. We collected all
frogs by hand, typically at night using head torches
between 19:00-00:00. We often focused on the calls
to locate individuals, as some frog species in the
genus Batrachylodes were difficult to spot due to their
exceptionally small size. We captured non-venomous
snakes by hand; for venomous species, we used a
snake hook with an appropriately sized, clear plastic
tube to restrict the snake’s head movement. On two
occasions, snakes were incidentally captured at night
on sticky boards.
We euthanized specimens by placing them in
a water bath containing dilute chloretone. For
venomous snakes and larger lizards (i.e. Corucia
zebrata), we injected chloretone directly into the
heart. We recorded length (snout-to-vent) and
mass measurements prior to removing liver tissue
from all specimens. Tissue samples were placed
immediately into 95% ethanol, and all specimens
were fixed in 10% formalin. For several of the snake
and lizard specimens, we removed subcutaneous
and coelomic parasites when an individual showed
obvious signs infections. We divided specimens and
tissues between researchers from the University of
Elegant sticky-toed frog (Batrachylodes elegans)
Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History
Museum and the U.S. Geological Survey, Western
Ecological Research Center, San Diego Field Station.
Specimens assigned to the U.S. Geological Survey
will be deposited in the herpetological collection of
the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard
University.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
We recorded 219 individuals belonging to 16
described species of frogs, five species of snakes,
and 20 species of lizards (Table 2). We collected
genetic material, photographed representatives of all
species, documented ecological and natural history
data when possible, and harvested species of cestode,
nematode and pentastomid parasites from several
lizards and snakes. To our knowledge, the following
lizards and snakes were documented on Choiseul for
the first time: Poncelet’s crocodile skink Tribolonotus
ponceleti, the flowerpot snake Ramphotyphlops braminus,
and the moth skink Lipinia noctua.
Species diversity and abundance for frogs were
notably higher in mid-elevation primary and
secondary rainforest in the Sarelata Hills (500-700 m)
compared to lowland areas, whereas we found little to
no difference in either category for lizard and snake
species across the same locations. Lizard diversity
and abundance varied among habitats within the
five sampling locations; this was particularly true for
skinks in the genera Sphenomorphus and Emoia, with
the former preferring less disturbed areas and more
canopy cover than the latter. The most commonly
encountered frog species was Platymantis weberi, the
most common lizard was Sphenomorphus concinnatus,
and the most common snake was Boiga irregularis. We
caught all three species at mid-elevation sites in the
Sarelata Hills and at low elevation sites.
We collected six frogs in the genus Batrachylodes and
one in the genus Platymantis that we could not identify
to species. Whether these specimens represent
known taxa from other geographic areas is unclear;
however based on available species descriptions
and the expertise of amphibian biologist Dr.
Patrick Pikacha, we are fairly confident that our
pool of specimens contains at least two species of
Batrachylodes and one species of Platymantis not
yet known to science. Pikacha et al. (2008) report
specimens of an undescribed Platymantis collected
along the Pavora River, a site that we did not visit.
However, the unidentified Platymantis collected
during this expedition appears to be yet another
undescribed member of this genus that is different
from the one discussed in Pikacha et al. (2008).
We also captured one specimen of blindsnake that
we initially identified as Ramphotyphlops depressus,
but unfortunately the snake escaped before we could
confirm its identity. We observed this individual
at night approximately ~2.5 m off the ground on
a fallen tree branch, in association with a column
of foraging ants. The species identity was based
on the conspicuous rounded snout, absence of a
rostral keel, estimated body length (~150-200 mm),
and the yellowish-brown dorsum. Ramphotyphlops
depressus is the most common blindsnake in forested
areas in the Solomon Islands, and is known from
Bougainville, Shortland, and Vella Lavella (McCoy
2006); thus it seems highly likely that it would occur
on Choiseul as well.
AUTHORS: Authors contributed equally to this
summary/field effort.
Jonathan Q. Richmond and Adam R. Backlin: US
Geological Survey, 4165 Spruance Rd. Suite 200, San
Diego CA 920106 USA
Scott L. Travers: Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, 2041 Haworth Hall, University of Kansas,
Lawrence, KS 66045 USA
Table 1. Summary data for the main sampling locations. All fieldwork was conducted in October 2014.
Habitat codes are as follows: A) lowland coastal forest; B) lowland rainforest; C) mid-elevation rainforest;
D) manicured/garden. Sites 1-4 contained disturbed and undisturbed areas, where disturbed areas included
secondary forest and or areas that were cleared or semi-cleared by humans.
Site no.
Sampling locations
Lat (S) / Long (E)
Dates surveyed
Habitat
1
Ghaghara
-7.05351° 157.10913°
16, 23-24
A, D
2
Sarelata Hills
-7.06227° 157.04747°
17-22
C
3
Sasamugga
7.03057° 156.76305°
24, 29
A, D
4
Sirebe Reserve
-6.98116° 156.77586°
25-28
B, D
5
Taro Island
-6.71143° 156.39920°
29-30
A
Table 2. Summary data for specimens captured. Locality labels refer to the site numbers in Table 1. Habitat
types are as follows: PMR, primary mid-elevation rainforest; SMR, secondary mid-elevation rainforest; CMR,
cleared mid-elevation rainforest; PLR, primary lowland rainforest; SLR, secondary lowland rainforest; CLR
cleared lowland rainforest; SCR, secondary coastal forest; LRE, lowland river edge; RS, rocky shoreline; M,
manicured/garden; VI, village infrastructure
Common name
Scientific name
No. of
individuals
Locality
Habitat type
Bufonide
Cane toad
Bufo marinus
>30
1, 3-5
SLR, CLR, SCF, M
Ceratobratrachidae
Torakino sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes trossulus
6
2
P-SMR
Elegant sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes elegans
6
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Fauro sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes vertebralis
7
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes sp.
6
2
PMR
Solomon eyelash frog
Certobatrachus guentheri
7
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Giant webbed frog
Discodeles guppyi
9
2
P-SMR
Warty webbed frog
Discodeles bufoniformis
2
2
P-SMR
Solomon Island Palm frog
Palmatorappia solomonis
9
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Solomon Islands Giant treefrog
Platymantis guppyi
8
2, 4
PMR, PLR
Weber’s wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis weberi
15
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Torokina wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis aculeodactylus
2
2
PMR
Necker’s wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis neckeri
5
2, 4
PMR, PLR
Solomon wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis solomonis
3
2, 4
PMR, PLR
Ground frog
Platymantis sp.
1
2
PMR
Hylidae
Solomon Islands Treefrog
Littoria lutea
5
2
PMR
Treasury Island Treefrog
Littoria thesaurensis
6
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
San Cristobal treefrog
Hylarana kreffti
5
1, 2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR, SCF,
M
Crocodylidae
Salt water crocodile
Crocodylus porosus
9
4
LRE
Geckonidae
Ring-tailed gecko
Cyrtodactylus solomonis
7
2, 4
PMR, PLR
Solomons slender-toed gecko
Nactus mutlicarinatus
4
2, 4
PMR, PLR
Mourning gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
2
1-5
M, VI
Sago gecko
Gekko vittatus
1
1
M
Oceanic gecko
Gehyra oceanica
3
1, 2
M
Scincidae
Pacific blue-tailed skink
Emoia caeruleocauda
15
1-5
CMR, CLR
Solomons blue-tailed skink
Emoia pseudocyanura
20
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Green-bellied tree skink
Emoia cyanogaster
4
2, 4
CMR, CLR
Pacific black skink
Emoia nigra
3
1, 2, 3
CMR, M, SCF
Shoreline skink
Emoia atracostata
3
5
RS
Prehensile-tailed skink
Corucia zebrata
1
4
PLR
Elegant forest skink
Sphenomorphus concinnatus
20
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Slender ground skink
Sphenomorphus solomonis
2
1
M
Moth skink
Lipinia noctua
1
5
SCF
Emerald tree skink
Lamprolepis smaragdina
5
1, 2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR
Western crocodile skink
Tribolonotus pseudoponceleti
3
2
PMR
Poncelet’s crocodile skink
Tribolonotus ponceleti
1
1
M/SCF
Typhlopidae
Flowerplot snake
Ramphotyphlops braminus
2
5
SCF
Boidae
Solomons ground boa
Candoia paulsoni
2
2
P-SMR
Colubridae
Brown treesnake
Boiga irregularis
9
2, 4
P-SMR, P-SLR, SMR,
SLR
Solomons tree snake
Dendrelaphis salomonis
4
2, 4
SMR, SLR
Elapidae
Solomons red krait
Solomoneleps par
6
2, 4
PMR, PLR
Top left: Juvenile Giant webbed frog (Discodeles guppyi)
Top right: A new species of Platymantis
Centre: Typical stream habitat for frogs
Left: Yellow-throated Skink (Emoia flavigularis)
Herpetofauna supplementary survey
This supplementary survey contributes to the overall herpetological results. It was made for 5 sites
- Jito, Siporai, Sirebe, Sarelata and Sasamunqa. A total of 15 species of frogs and 11 reptiles
was recorded. A Varanus spinulosus was discovered at Sasamunqa. Populations of the vulnerable
Palmatorappia solomonis were found at three of the sites surveyed.
AUTHORS: Edgar Pollard and Patrick Pikacha
Herpetofauanal surveys at five sites during the
Choiseul expedition. This included two additional
sites, Siporai and Jito both in the upper Kolombangara
River. Both sites are located in intact forests which
only can be accessed by the Kolobangara River or by
hiking inland from the south coast. The main drainage
system of Kolobangara River and it’s tributaries,
originate from the lower hills of Mt Maetambe,
and final flows in to the southwest of Choiseul.
Some tributaries from the north of Kolobangara
River have been heavily silted by logging. Within
the actual sampling sites there was no evidence of
logging and the forest was relatively intact except
for a few small gardens. Lowland forest surrounded
most sites sampled, with the exception of Sarelata
which is an abandoned village at approximately 700
m elevation. The forest here is typical of hill forest,
with Callophyllum pseudovitiense, Dacrydium spp, Eugenia
spp, and many orchids, ferns, gingers, and pandanas.
Of particular interest was the Isabel monitor that
was collected at Sasamunqa. Previous to this it was
only collected on Isabel. A sample was preserved in
ethanol during the survey.
Isabel monitor (Varanus spinulosus)
Table 1: Sampling sites and date surveyed.
Site no.
Sampling locations
Dates surveyed
1
Sirebe Reserve
12-14
2
Sarelata Hills
17-20
3
Sasamugga
23
4
Siporai Reserve
15, 16
5
Jito Reserve
19-22
False Poncelet’s Helmet Skink (Tribolonotus pseudoponceleti)
Table 2: List of species
English
Scientific
Siporai
Sasamunqa Sarelata
Sirebe Jito
Cane toad
Bufo marinus
X
X
X
X
Torakina sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes trossulus
Elegant sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes elegans
X
X
X
X
Fauro sticky-toed frog
Batrachylodes vertebralis
X
X
X
X
Sticky toed frog
Batrachylodes sp
Solomon eyelash frog
Ceratobatrachus guentheri
X
X
X
X
X
Giant webbed frog
Discodeles guppyi
X
X
X
X
Warty webbed frog
Discodeles bufoniformis
Malukuna webbed frog
Discodeles malukuna
Solomon Island Palm frog
Palmatorappia solomonis
Solomon Islands Giant tree frog
Frogs
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Platymantis guppyi
X
X
X
X
Weber’s wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis weberi
X
X
X
X
Torokina wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis aculeodactylus
X
X
Necker’s wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis neckeri
X
Solomon’s wrinkled ground frog
Platymantis solomonis
X
X
X
X
Reptiles
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ring-tailed gecko
Cytodactylus solomonis
X
Oceanic gecko
Gehyra oceanica
X
X
Pacific blue-tailed skink
Emoia caeruleocauda
X
X
X
Solomons blue-tailed skink
Emoia pseudocyanura
X
X
Pacific black skink
Emoia nigra
X
X
Shoreline skink
Emoia atracostata
X
X
Elegant forest skink
Sphenomorphus concinnatus
X
X
Western crocodile skink
Tribolonotus ponceleti
X
X
Blind snake
Ramphotyphlops sp
Solomons red krait
Solomonelaps par
Isabel monitor
Varanus spinulosus
X
X
X
X
Mammals
This section gives a preliminary account of mammal surveys on Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands
in October 2014. We provide brief descriptions of survey methods employed and species recorded
from Sarelata and Pisuku camps, central Choiseul. A detailed report will be provided with more
comprehensive descriptions of species and conservation values of the survey sites.
AUTHORS: Tyrone Lavery and Cornelius Qaqara
methods
Mist nets
Bats were surveyed using black 75 denier, 38mm
mesh nylon mist nets (12m in length x 2.6m in
height) (M. Nakamori & Co., Ltd., Yokkaichi,
Japan). Nets were configured individually within
forest understoreys on wooden poles up to 10m
from the ground, or suspended on ropes from
upper canopy branches up to 20m above the
ground. The number and configuration of nets
used was varied to suit the physical characteristics
of each site. Nets were placed on tops of
ridgelines, spanning watercourses or across natural
forest gaps or ‘flyways’ to maximise the number
of species and individuals captured. Surveys
commenced at dusk, nets were checked throughout
the night until they were closed shortly after dawn.
Sub-canopy mist nets are inherently biased in that
they are generally poor at sampling high-flying large
Pteropus spp. and echolocating species.
Echolocation calls
An Echo Meter EM3 Ultrasonic Bat Detector
(Wildlife Acoustics Inc., Concord, MA, USA) was
used to actively record echolocating bats. Recorded
calls were identified using reference calls previously
made by TL and published calls from New Guinea
(Leary & Pennay, 2011).
Spotlighting
Spotlighting was undertaken using 210–220-lumen
LED torches (H14 and P17, LED Lenser, Solingen,
Germany). Surveys were conducted between 1900
Diadem leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros diadema)
and 2300 hours.
Camera traps
Camera traps (Reconyx Hyperfire HC500) were
placed in arboreal and terrestrial positions and
baited with peanut butter.
Harp trap
Echolocating bats were targeted with a harp trap
(Austbat, Bairnsdale, Victoria). The harp trap was
positioned along observed flyways such as informal
walking tracks and creek lines.
Opportunistic records
We recorded opportunistic sighting records of
all mammal species. With the assistance of field
guides, we searched hollow trees and strangler figs
for arboreal roosting species and also visited caves
that may be possible bat roost sites.
Results
Thirteen species of mammal (including one
marsupial, one rodent and 11 bats) were recorded
in the survey period across the two sites (Table 1).
Discussion
The mammals recorded during these surveys are
relatively common species in Solomon Islands. No
Common Name
Solomon bare-backed fruit-bat
Fawn leaf-nosed bat
Diadem leaf-nosed bat
Northern blossom-bat
Woodford’s blossom-bat
Little bent-wing bat
Umboi tube-nosed bat
Northern common cuscus
Sanborn’s flying-fox
Solomon flying-fox
Pacific rat
Rousette bat
Pig
new species of mammal were detected by these
surveys.
Two Sanborn’s flying-foxes (Pteropus mahaganus)
were captured at the Sarelata site. These were
vouchered and have been lodged with the
Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia.
Bowen-Jones et al. (1997) recorded this species
for the first time on Choiseul Island. However, it
does not appear as though any specimens of this
species were collected. The two individuals lodged
with the Queensland Museum thus represent the
first specimen-backed records of P. mahaganus from
Choiseul Island.
Species Name
Dobsonia inermis
Hipposideros cervinus
Hipposideros diadema
Macroglossus minimus
Melonycteris woodfordi
Miniopterus australis
Nyctimene vizcaccia
Phalanger orientalis
breviceps
Pteropus mahaganus
Pteropus rayneri
Rattus exulans
Rousettus
amplexicaudatus
Sus scrofa
Sarelata
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Pisuku
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Noteworthy species known to occur on Choiseul
that were not recorded by these surveys are:
Bougainville monkey-faced bat Pteralopex anceps;
greater monkey-faced bat Pteralopex flanneryi;
Admiralty flying-fox Pteropus admiralitatum;
Island tube-nosed bat Nyctimene major, Poncelet’s
giant rat Solomys ponceleti, Bougainville giant rat
Solomys salebrosus; and Bougainville melomys
Melomys bougainville. Echolocating bats were also
undersampled, as the constantly wet conditions
render the harp trap relatively ineffective as a
survey method.
References
Bowen-Jones, E., Abrutat, D., Markham, B. and
Bowe, S., 1997. Flying foxes on Choiseul (Solomon
Islands) – the need for conservation action. Oryx
31: 209-217.
Leary, T. and Pennay, M., 2011. Echolocation
calls of eight microchiroptera from Papua New
Guinea. Pp. in The biology and conservation of
Australasian bats ed by B. Law, P. Eby, D. Lunney
and L. Lumsden. Royal Zoological Society of New
South Wales, Mosman.
Sanborn’s flying-fox (Pteropus mahaganus)
Woodford’s blossum bat (Melonycteris woodfordi)
Freshwater
This section briefly summarizes the preliminary findings of the survey of the Kolobangara Watershed
from October 10 to October 21, 2014. The survey is part of a biological diversity baseline inventory
of flora and fauna of the Mount Maetambe-Kolobangara Watershed.
The freshwater fish fauna of Choiseul Island was well documented (Boseto et al. 2007; Polhemus
et al. 2008; Boseto and Sirikolo 2012; Boseto et al 2012). However, the freshwater invertebrates
are lacking despite few records that were documented in (Boseto and Sirikolo, 2012 and Boseto
et al 2012). The inclusion of freshwater expertise from the Museum National d’History Naturelle, in
France will help to document the freshwater invertebrates.
AUTHORS: David Boseto, Philippe Keith and Gerard Marquet
METHODS
Survey sites
A total of 12 sites within the Kolobangara River watershed were surveyed. Some of the sites surveyed
were replication of sites surveyed by David (Boseto
and Sirikolo, 2012). The survey team has also added
few new sites during the expedition.
Survey method
At each sampling sites a 100m transect line was laid
along the bank. Two survey methods employed are
electric fisher or observations were used to collect
fishes from the sites.
Electric-fisher - This machine was used extensively
in shallow waters of the creeks and rivers including
along the banks. One person was positioned behind
the person with the electric fishing machine with a
fine mesh net and another person with a hand nets
to collect the stunned vertebrates and invertebrates.
Observation – observed fishes were verified by underwater observation using a mask and snorkel unless clearly distinguishable by bold characters salient
from out of the water body. Swimming slowly along
a transect line and all fish encountered within one
meter either side of the transect are recorded and
photography.
Invertebrate’s survey
The decapods and crustaceans were collected by
hands from under stones and rocky substrates along
the same transect line. They were also caught using
the electric-fisher and fine mesh nets and hand nets.
The collected vertebrates and invertebrates that we
cannot identify them in the field were placed in a
bottle filled with 80 % of ethanol and were taken
back to the laboratory for identification using a dissecting microscope and proper taxonomic materials
for confirmation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Vertebrates
A total of 50 species of fish from 31 genus and 13
families, 18 species of crustaceans, from four genus
and two families and seven species of decapods,
from seven genus and three families were recorded
from more than 10 sites. A total of 13 fish species
from this record was not reported in (Boseto and
Sirikolo, 2012) and a total of six fish species that was
recorded from the (Boseto and Sirikolo, 2012) was
not recorded in the current survey.
Most of the tropical streams are dominated by species from the family Gobiidae and Eleotridae. The
results revealed that a total of 63 % of the species
recorded are from the families’ gobiidae (44%) and
eleotridae (19%). The species richness for a single
watershed indicates a healthy system. This is a record high so far for Solomon Islands for a single
watershed
Invertebrates
The inclusion of the invertebrate expert has added and increased our knowledge of the freshwater
invertebrates of the Kolobangara Watershed. This
is the first compressive survey of crustaceans and
decapods for the Solomon Islands. There is also a
possibility for new species of decapods from the
family gecarcinucidae that was collected during this
survey. A total of 18 species from four genus and
two families for the crustaceans, seven species from
seven genus and three families for decapods. A total of six species, four genus and three families for
mollusks. The species Hyridella guppyi was recorded
only from a single stream. The invertebrate species
richness also indicates a healthy system.
Threats to flora and fauna
The survey results highlighted a healthy system due
to the high species richness of the vertebrates and
invertebrates fauna of Kolobangara Watershed.
However, our survey was carried out during the
wet season period for Solomon Islands. There is
an evidence of heavy sedimentation input into the
Kolobangara River. Logging activities that occurred
on three customary lands within the Kolobangara
Watershed will pose a major threat to the flora and
fauna of the Kolobangara Watershed.
Concluding Remarks
This survey will contribute to the knowledge of
freshwater fauna of Choiseul Island and Solomon
Islands as a whole. This survey also compiles a comprehensive invertebrate list for country. The high
species richness for invertebrates and vertebrates
within the Kolobangara River Watershed highlights
the need for a comprehensive land and sea scape
ecosystem managements. Since most of the freshwater fauna are amphidromous species which means
that they need a clear passage between freshwater
and the ocean to complete their life cycles. Therefore, it is paramount that mitigation such as buffer
zone be created at the river banks to avoid mass sedimentation washed into the river to create blockage
on the streams that will prevent freshwater fauna’s
to be transported into the ocean to complete their
life cycle. Furthermore, monitoring of the logging
activities so that they can adhere to the logging code
of practice. If there is any violation of the logging
code then logging company must pay the penalty.
Finally, customary landowners must be committed
to the protection of their lands and resources.
ESSI Our ideals
• We aspire to create a balance between resource development, and
management and conservation of natural resources. In this holistic paradigm
we perceive the establishment of protected areas and managed areas as
imperative. And that resource extraction is managed within clear, transparent
and stringent management plans.
• Improved taxonomic and ecological knowledge of species and ecosystems
within our oceanic islands is critical. We desire to implement steps that
ensures the persistence of species populations, the restoration of species in
the event that extirpations occur, or the restoration of landscape integrity in
areas/islands that have been heavily exploited.
• To increase local understanding and appreciation of natural history through
media (print, internet, audio and visual) and awareness materials and talks.
• Finally as locals, we are well aware that the word ‘conservation’ is a foreign
concept to our traditional context. Management, controlled harvesting or the
implementation of community conservation agreements between NGOs or
industry and local communities to offset resource use is integral to building
community interest and social investment. We are interested in exploring
alternative approaches to the conservation of species or ecosystems. This
could be through collaborating with local social institutions like churches, or
tribal communities or other social mechanisms, etc to implement methods for
the conservation of species and protection of forest and seascapes.

Summary Report - Ecological Solutions, Solomon Islands

Transcription

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