Current view: Text account
Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
The Maninita (or Otu Motu Lalo) IBA comprises the three uninhabited islands of Maninita, Taula, Lualoli, the southern most islands in the Vava’u group. All three islands are raised limestone islands and together total approximately 13 ha. The vegetation on all three islands is almost intact, native vegetation which is representative of coral cay islands throughout Tonga. The Pisonia grandis woodland on Maninita, has some particularly large and impressive trees. The islands support extremely important nesting colonies of over 15,000 seabirds, especially black noddy Anous minutus. Rats were eradicated from the islands in 2002. The islands are owned by the government and there is an extant lease on Taula. All three islands are coming under increasing pressure from visiting fishermen and the tourist industry.
Maninita, Taula and Lualoli are the southernmost islands of the Vava’u group. All three are raised limestone islands with a maximum height of less than 5m above sea level. Maninita has an area of 5.2 ha., Taula - 7.0 ha and Lualoli approximately 0.3 ha. The islands are situated on large patch reefs. Maninita is accessible to small craft at high tide, but the other islands are more difficult to access.
Twenty species of bird have been recorded on or around the three islands1. There are only three species of resident, breeding land birds – wattled honeyeater Foulehaio carunculata, banded rail Galirallus philippensis and white-collared kingfisher Todiramphus chloris. Five seabirds nest on the islands – black and brown noddys (Anous minutus and A.solidus), white tern Gygis alba and the red-footed booby Sula sula nest on both islands, black-winged petrel Pterodroma nigripennis nests only on Taula. Based on a stratified sampling of the two larger islands, the number of breeding pairs of black noddy was estimated at 13,248, brown noddy at 1,522 and with 50 pairs of red-footed booby. 547 pairs of white tern bred on Maninita, but breeding was not taking place during the survey of Taula, combined over 1,000 white terns probably breed on both islands (Watling 2002). No surveys were taken on Lualoli but small numbers of all but the black-winged petrel breed on this island too. A single, bristle-thighed curlew Numenius tahitiensis, a globally threatened species was observed moving between the three islands throughout the surveys.
Non-bird biodiversity: Twenty eight plant species have been recorded on Maninita and 37 species on Taula, with four vegetation associations distinguished – strand vegetation, pure stands of Neisosperma oppositifolium, Pemphis acidula scrub, and a woodland almost totally composed of Pisonia grandis with a canopy height of between 7-15m, which forms the core vegetation type. A globally rare and threatened plant Sesbania coccinea is present on both Maninita and Taula with a total of no more than seven plants. Whistler (1992) indicates that this species may be extinct in Tonga. The flying fox Pteropus tonganus visits the islands in small numbers. Four terrestrial reptiles have been recorded - by far the commonest is the gecko Gehyra oceanica, others included Lepidodactylus lugubris, Lipinia noctua and Emoia impar. Formerly, the Polynesian rat Rattus exulans occurred at very high densities on both Maninita and Taula, the rats were eradicated from Maninita in June/July 2002 and from Taula and Lualoli in December 2002 (Houston 2003).
The dominant vegetation of the islands is closed canopy woodland, where Pisonia grandis is overwhelmingly dominant. Only in a few locations does Neisosperma oppositifolium becomes dominant over small areas on Maninita, Pemphis acidula on Taula. A welldeveloped strand vegetation surrounds the islands above the beachline which is a more diverse vegetation with over 20 plant species recorded, although it is of limited extent. The strand vegetation is well formed on Maninita and a less so on the other island and extends from 5-20 m inland.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Maninita and Taula are very important seabird nesting colonies, while all three islands have intact native island flora. They are some of the best remaining examples of Tonga's small island ecosystems, however, their attributes are deteriorating through increasing and damaging exploitation, and the lack of any management framework.
A proposal to nominate these islands for consideration by the Parks and Reserves Management Authority to be established as ‘The Otu Motu Lalo Reserve’ was prepared by the Tonga Visitors Bureau and the Department of the Environment, following nearly four years of joint preparatory work, supported through the NZAid Nature Tourism Programme 2001-2004 (Dept.Environment 2003). The legislative context of this nomination is the Parks and Reserves Act (1976).
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
There are no research or conservation projects on Maninita at the present time (Prescott &
Folaumoetu’I, 2004).
Maninita, Taula and Lualoli are the southernmost islands of the Vava’u Group, collectively referred to as ‘Otu Motu Lalo’. Maninita has been the subject of at least two Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources’ surveys which resulted in it being proposed as a Protected Marine Area in the early 1990’s. Lack of resources and alternative priorities have prevented the proposal being implemented.
The three islands are owned by the Government. On Taula, there is a registered lease of 2.73 ha under the name of Mapaha'amo Fifita (Taunga Island); another lease of 2.66 ha has been surrendered but not registered. On Maninita there is an application of 1969 by Teisina Fifita (Taunga Island) but without response from the government.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Maninita, Taula, Lualoli (Tonga). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/maninita-taula-lualoli-iba-tonga on 23/12/2024.
