Ringgold Isles

The Ringgold Isles are an archipelago in Fiji, forming an outlier group to Vanua Levu. The Budd, Nukusemanu, and Heemskercq Reefs form part of the group. The group is mostly uninhabited, but Qelelevu has a small village. In 2008 Pacific rats were eradicated from seven islands of the group in an endeavour facilitated by BirdLife International's Fiji Programme.[1]

A 218-hectare (540-acre) area covering the archipelago is the Ringgold Islands Important Bird Area. This area supports globally and regionally significant populations of marine turtles, humpback whales, seabirds and semi-nomadic reef fish, and may hold concentrations of cold-water corals.[2]

16°30′10″S 179°41′20″W / 16.50278°S 179.68889°W / -16.50278; -179.68889

  1. ^ "The Magnificent Seven (rat free Fijian islands)". BirdLife Community news. BirdLife International. 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  2. ^ "BirdLife Data Zone: Ringgold Islands". datazone.birdlife.org.