Environmental conservation often conjures up images of tigers, elephants, pandas and polar bears. However the mystical remote islands of the Solomon Islands are home to some of the most unusual creatures on earth. The mountains are home to the recently discovered Vangunu Giant Rat, a kitten sized tree dwelling mammal restricted to a small area of rainforest behind Zaira village. Flying above these misty forests is the New Georgia Monkey-faced Bat with a face only a mother could love. The beaches of Zaira are a favoured nesting location for the prehistoric Leatherback turtle, the size of a small car. After hatching at Zaira, leatherbacks roam the oceans for decades travelling as far as California to forage before returning to Zaira's unique beaches to nest.

Solomon Islands are part of the East Melanesian Islands biodiversity hotspot and many of the plants and animals there are found nowhere else on earth. Unfortunately much of Solomon Islands has been disturbed by commercial logging. It is estimated that only 10.7% of the country's primary forests remain. The rat, the bat and the turtle project will support the indigenous community of Zaira to protect their lands from the destructive pressures of logging and mining. 

Commuities with the vision and strength to resist logging are rare. One such community is Zaira. Zaira village supports a population of 250 people. In addition to these forests and oceans being critical to the survival of the rat, the bat and the turtle, the indigenous people of Zaira have a deep connection with their land and environment. They live a mostly subsitence lifestyle - growing vegetables and root crops in local gardens, harvesting wild foods from the bush and reefs and taking materials from the forest to construct their houses. For centuries they have practiced a system called Hopé - whereby sections of their reefs and forests are rested for long periods to avoid overuse.

Their conservation area protects the last remaining large tracts of forest on Vangunu Island. As one of the last tracts of primary forest in the broader Western Province, Zaira is crucial to the conservation of some unique and wonderful species of wildlife.

Zaira protects three IUCN Red List threatened species:

Leatherback turtle (West Pacific Ocean subpopulation) Critically Endangered

The black sand beaches of Zaira provide critical nesting sites for Western Pacific leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). In 2012, the community became concerned about the future of these animals as no hatchlings had been sighted for over 10 years. Rising sea levels were drowning the nests and destroying any chances of hatching success. In response, Zaira rangers hand dug and relocated more than 200 cubic metres of beach sand by hand and created a hatchery above the high tide mark. These rangers now patrol their beaches all night and carefully relocate eggs from nests to the hatchery after females finished laying. Zaira now boasts a hatching success rate of over 90% with sex ratios of hatchlings roughly equal to those of natural nests.

New Georgia monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex taki) Vulnerable

The New Georgia monkey-faced bat is found only on three small islands in the world, all in the Solomon Islands. This species is very uncommon and declining in number because of the devastating effects of logging. Monkey-faced bats rely on old growth forests. They roost in small groups inside hollow trees - logging removes most of these and thus the bats lose the places needed to rest during the daytime. Zaira supports one of the last healthy populations of these beautiful creatures but they face increasing pressure from logging as almost the entire Solomon Islands old growth forests have already been wiped out.

Vangunu giant rat (Uromys vika) proposed Critically Endangered

The Vangunu Giant Rat or “vika” in the local language is critically endangered and is only found on this single small  island. This rat is brand new to science, only discovered this year, but it is under enormous threat from logging of its rainforest habitat. “It’s getting to the stage for this rat that, if we hadn’t discovered it now, it might never have been discovered. The area where it was found is one of the only places left with forest that hasn’t been logged,” says Dr Lavery - lead author of the species' description. It is almost too late for this species that we have not had a chance to get to know yet, the rangers are key to its survival and need urgent support.

Why Zaira Needs Help

Zaira are a strong community determined to sustainably manage their forests and reefs for the long-term and allow future generations to enjoy this unique place. To date the incredible efforts have been done with very little support. Zaira Rangers patrol and manage their reefs, beaches and forests on a volunteer basis and with limited equipment. There are also financial pressures on the community, school fees are a major burden on the families of Zaira where little more than $200 AUD per year can allow children to continue their education. Logging companies use the promise of school fees to gain access to community forests, however, this lasts only as long as the logging (usually one year) and destroys the forests and reefs for ever. Zaira needs all the support possible to continue their sustainable management of one of the last true jewels of global biodiversity.

Your donation will support protection of Zaira's forests and the Zaira rangers  - allowing them to continue to patrol their beaches and forests and construct a ranger station so that they no longer need to wait in the rain for turtles to come and lay eggs on their beaches!

More of the Zaira Story

How the funds will be used:

Ranger Station - $15,000

Zaira has a team of dedicated rangers that work on a volunteer basis. Working on a tropical island sounds great, but it of course has its downsides - a lot of rain falls on Vangunu each year! When waiting quietly on the dark, still nights for leatherbacks to come an lay their eggs on Zaira's beaches, the rangers frequently have to wait out tropical downpours. They have dreams of constucting a ranger station where they can stay out of the rain and wind but need your help.

Ranger Equipment - $5000

In addition to a ranger station, raincoats, torches, tents and safety equipment will keep the rangers safe and help them do their jobs. At present they work with limited equipment, and on a volunteer basis.

Ranger salaries - $5000

The rangers deserve some financial reward in return for their role in sutaining an important part of the world's biodiversity. A small amount of support will contribute toward Zaira's village economy with bigger flow on effects such as increased abilities to pay children's school fees.

Zaira has already faced many challenges

Zaira is a remote community that lies on Vangunu's weathercoast. Access to the village via the rocky shore is difficult in calm weather, in rough seas it is impossible.

In 2014 a logging ship illegally docked in Zaira's waters - it was a test by the logging company. If they were not met with resistance, log ponds, machinery and timber cutting would soon have followed. In response the Zaira rangers boarded the ship, demanding compensation for illegal tresspass before the ship was allowed to depart. The company has not been returned since.

In 2016 Zaira Village was challenged in the courts by an outside party over timber rights. Zaira lost but did not give up the fight. Just this year, Zaira's rights to manage their forests for conservation were returned when they won a high court appeal.

This small village has and will continue to face big challenges, but they will be all the more stronger with your support.