[Photo: Supplied]

The South Pacific Regional Herbarium at The University of the South Pacific has become one of the Pacific’s most important centres for biodiversity and cultural preservation.

What began in 1933 as the Fiji Herbarium, founded by botanist B.E.V. Parham, is now an internationally recognised hub of science and conservation. Its official herbarium code SUVA connects it to a global network, while serving all 12 USP member countries.

The collection holds more than 80,000 plant specimens alongside mosses, insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater animals.

[Photo: Supplied]

It is a critical tool for tracking climate change, identifying rare species, and guiding conservation policies.

The herbarium’s work has a regional impact. It supplies data for governments, builds environmental reports, and supports strategies to protect biodiversity under increasing human and climate pressures.

Training is another core function. USP students and young Pacific scientists gain field experience, plant identification skills, and research training that prepare them to take on regional conservation challenges.

International links extend its reach. Partnerships with the American Museum of Natural History and the Solomon Islands Community Conservation Partnership combine science with traditional knowledge and expand its influence.

One of its most significant missions was in 2015, when the herbarium led a 54-member expedition into Guadalcanal’s highlands.

The team discovered new orchids, more than 90 ant species, and possible new frogs.

For the Uluna-Sutahuri people, the journey also restored ties with ancestral land, showing how science and culture can work together.

Today, the herbarium safeguards over 50,000 plant samples from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and New Caledonia, a specialised moss collection by scientist Tamás Pócs, 8,000 insects, 200 reptiles and amphibians, and 100 birds.

The South Pacific Regional Herbarium remains one of the Pacific’s strongest defences for biodiversity.

It is a living archive, a training ground, and a reminder that the region’s natural heritage must be protected for future generations.

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