The Lau Banded Iguana occurs in a range of habitat types on differing island formations.  In the north, islands are volcanic in origin and contain wet forest, whereas in the south the islands are raised limestone and contain dry forest, often with very little open soil. The lack of soil and dry nature of the limestone islands potentially restricts where nesting can occur, but since Harlow (2003) reported finding many eggshells on Aiwa during their surveys, it may not be a limiting factor for iguana reproduction.

 

Iguanas are primarily found in remnant stands of native forests on the islands they occupy, but are sometimes found in marginal habitats of non-native plants, native hibiscus, and degraded forest around villages and also along ocean margins, but always where trees are at least six metres in height. The highest densities of this iguana were found on Aiwa and Vuaqava, both of which are lacking understory due to overgrazing by goats. As was seen on Yadua Taba for Fiji Crested Iguanas (Brachylophus vitiensis), the removal of goats has a big impact on restoration of dry forest habitat and can allow the iguana population to expand greatly.

 

As with most iguanas, this species is herbivorous, although a comprehensive study of its diet in the wild has never been studied as it is so rare. They are assumed to prefer the same food plants as the better studied Brachylophus vitiensis, as many or most of these same plants occur on the islands occupied by B. fasciatus. All the Brachylophus iguanas are very difficult to observe during the day and occupy the highest levels of the tree canopy on the islands.

 

A combination of data for the genus and specific to B. fasciatus indicate that wild Lau Banded Iguanas are not reproductive until age four and the mean generation length is likely to be 10-15 years. They lay an average of five eggs per clutch. This lizard is the smallest South Pacific iguana species with a maximum snout-to-vent length of 18 cm. This species is differentiated from the other two Brachylophus iguanas both genetically and by several morphological characters including body size, the diminutive size and higher number of dorsal crest spines, the low number of femoral pores, nostril colour and shape, and overall colour pattern.

The Lau Banded Iguana is native only to the islands in the Lau Group of eastern Fiji and it was introduced to Tonga. Because there is widespread sub-fossil evidence of B. fasciatus from the Lau Group but these fossils are absent from Tonga, it is believed that Lau Banded Iguanas were introduced from the Lau Group to Tonga in historic times, possibly as an alternative food source after Brachylophus gibbonsi was hunted to extinction soon after human colonization of the area, approximately 2,800 years ago (Pregill and Dye 1989, Pregill and Steadman 2004). Molecular data also supports this theory of introduction since the Tongan iguanas are nearly genetically identical to those from the Lau Group, while subpopulations of other Brachylophus species show sizeable genetic differentiation among them (Keogh et al. 2008).

 

Within the Lau Group, the iguana has been confirmed recently from only 11 islands ranging from Vanua Balavu in the north to Fulaga and Ogea in the south (R. Fisher pers. comm. 2011). Previously, iguanas had been known from Moce and Oneata, for example, and probably occurred on most islands throughout the Lau Group. The iguanas from Yacata and Vatu Vara, to the west of Vanua Balavu, were not designated as B. fasciatus by Keogh et al. (2008) due to lack of genetic samples and some morphological discrepancies observed in specimens collected in the 1920s. Preliminary analysis of iguanas from Taveuni and Qamea Islands to the north of Vanua Balavu indicate that these are most similar to B. fasciatus, but genetically different from all of the other animals sampled from the Lau Group (R. Fisher pers. comm. 2011).

 

Iguanas are probably found up to 200 metres above sea level, although most islands they occur on are lower than 100 metres.

There are no national conservation measures in place for the Lau Banded Iguana and they are not found in any protected areas. All of the Brachylophus iguanas are protected from international trade by Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

 

Further surveys are needed in the small forest patches on some of the larger islands in the Lau Group to determine if any additional isolated populations still persist. The smaller islands with recently confirmed iguana populations need to be resurveyed quantitatively to develop population estimates and map the remaining habitat on each island. Island assessments for feral cats and Black Rats in the region are needed also, as these appear to be the most important predator for Brachylophus iguanas. Further research on the role of invasive ants in possible iguana declines is also needed.

 

Genetic confirmation is needed for iguanas that were recently sampled and appear to be B. fasciatus, particularly from the newly surveyed areas of southern Lau and Vanua Balavu. The iguanas of Yacata and Vatu Vara, which were identified in Keogh et al. (2008) as possibly belonging to this species, need to be assessed systematically, as do the other islands in the northern Lau Group lacking recent survey information.

 

Education programmes for the local community need to continue to stress the importance of the role of iguanas in the ecosystem, its value for protection, and the differences between native and invasive Green Iguanas. Within the conservation community, education and awareness are needed to better inform people about the differences between this species and the recently separated Fiji Banded Iguana, Brachylophus bulabula, as much of the literature regarding banded iguanas in Fiji still refers to B. fasciatus in name, regardless of which species the information actually pertains to.

 

A Conservation Action Plan is badly needed for this species as no specific conservation actions have been designed or implemented to ensure its survival. The confusion with Brachylophus bulabula, and the assumption that they occur on many islands, significantly under-represents the threats to this species. Based on the rate of habitat degradation over the last 20 years, the number of Lau Banded Iguanas and the persistence of their remaining subpopulations will have declined by at least 70% by the end of the next 20 years without intervention. With more data on past and current trends, it is likely this predicted loss would be much higher.