An Indigenous perspective on the conservation of an insular endemic: the prehensile-tailed skink Corucia zebrata on the Solomon Islands

Abstract

The prehensile-tailed skink Corucia zebrata is endemic to the Solomon Islands. It is the most traded reptile from the country. During 2000-2019, CITES reported the legal export of 10,567 individuals. Although the level of this trade is well documented, impacts on the skink's survival in its native range are comparatively unknown. During January-May 2020, we surveyed 146 people on 12 islands to collect information on the habitats preferred by the prehensile-tailed skink, to understand perceptions of the species' conservation status and identify any potential threats. Respondents reported lowland and hill forests as being favoured habitats, with low proportions of respondents identifying coastal and montane forests as suitable habitat. Habitat loss (72%), hunting (17%), and predation (6%) were identified as the main threats. People younger than 30 years of age reported killing the skinks more frequently than did people over the age of 30. Prehensile-tailed skinks have a relatively small home range, long reproductive cycle, and are vulnerable to numerous threats. We thus recommend a halt to the current practice of exporting wild-caught prehensile-tailed skinks, and replacement by a well-regulated captive breeding programme.