Human Impacts

            Coming as no shock to most readers, the three most imposing agents of deforestation and inevitably the complete destruction of such tropical rainforests are subsistence agriculture, commercial logging and cattle ranching. According to the WWF (World Wildlife Foundation), "Since the 1960’s about fifteen percent of forest [on Viti Levu] have been completely cleared and selective logging has removed much of the standing diversity in accessible forest by about 2020 leaving approximately 2700 square kilometers of old growth forest in steep and inaccessible areas." Currently only 68 square kilometers are protected in Fiji primarily contained in the Mount Tomaniivi Nature Reserve on Viti Levu (Watling 1986). 

           The WWF also claims that "the principle threat to forests in the ecoregion is logging and subsequent development of logged areas for plantations or agriculture such that in the near future isolated patches of forest may be restricted to isolated ridgelines, mountain tops, and areas unsuitable for human use." This goes without saying the numerous non-native species that have been introduced to the Viti Levu tropical rainforest including mongoose, cats, pigs and rats that are fairly efficient when it comes to preying on native species. This in turn reduces the native populations of birds, reptiles and amphibians to near extinction.