Abstract: Nasoata Island is a predominantly mangrove island located near the outflow and delta of the Rewa River, Fiji's largest and longest river. The river originates on the eastern slopes of Mt. Tomaniivi in the Central Highlands of Viti Levu. The island has been selected as an integral coastal site for Fiji's PABITRA Gateway Transect. Information is provided on: (1) the reasons it was selected as a PABITRA site; (2) geographical, geological, climatic, and edaphic setting; (3) the vegetation; and (4) brief notes on the fauna, with particular focus on the avifauna. Because of its rich flora and fauna, Nasoata Island is an excellent "prototype" coastal and mangrove site for enhancing our understanding of the complexities of island biodiversity, both within Fiji and in relation to other small offshore islands within the broader PABITRA network.

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NASOATA IS A SMALL, predominantly mangrove island located in the Rewa River Delta, near the outflow of the Nasoata River, one of the main subsidiary channels of the Rewa River, Fiji's largest and longest river, which empties into the Pacific Ocean in southeastern Viti Levu (Figure 1). Because of its relatively pristine condition, its relatively rich flora, avifauna, and marine biodiversity, particularly its migratory birds, seabirds, and waterfowl, and its rich mangrove-associated crustacean fauna, the island has been selected as a prototype coastal mangrove site in the PABITRA mountain-to-sea landscape transect originating at Mt. Tomaniivi and the Central Highlands of Viti Levu and extending along the Rewa River system to the coral reefs and nearshore marine ecosystems of southeastern Viti Levu.

The information presented here is based on five reconnaissance visits to Nasoata between April 2001 and August 2002, during which time preliminary assessments were made of the flora and fauna of the island and the surrounding nearshore environment. Based on these preliminary assessments the island was first selected as one of Fiji's priority mangrove wetland sites under the Ramsar Wetland Convention and subsequently for designation as the coastal and mangrove site within the proposed Fiji PABITRA Gateway Transect. The main reasons for its selection include (1) it is an uninhabited offshore island, which makes it an excellent site for the study of processes within a discrete small-island ecosystem surrounded by more diverse ecosystems of main-island Viti Levu; (2) it is a relatively undisturbed and extensive mangrove ecosystem with a diversity of associated flora and fauna; (3) limited areas of other representative coastal and nearshore marine ecosystems exist, which support beach and littoral forest, disturbed coastal forest, a coconut plantation, intertidal sea-grass beds, and mudflats; (4) its pivotal location on the windward side of Viti Levu at the mouth of the Rewa River and just off the main delta, about 1 km inside the main barrier reef, makes it a prime target for potential colonization by terrestrial and aquatic organisms from both the sea and the mainland; (5) the rich shorebird and seabird avifauna; (6) the rich mangrove invertebrate and vertebrate fauna of considerable economic and cultural importance; (7) the designation of the island...