Coconut crab  (Birgus latro)

The coconut crab is threatened by intensive hunting for food as it is considered, on many islands, as a delicacy and an aphrodisiac (10). It is uncommon throughout much of its present range, though on less populated islands it may be abundant. In more recent years, development along the coastline of islands has modified or destroyed much of this crab's habitat. With increased tourism these crabs are also caught and sold as curios. Predation by introduced pigs, rats, monitor lizards and monkeys are also a threat to juvenile crabs (2).

On some islands these crabs have limited protection. For example, in Papua New Guinea villagers are asked not to collect coconut crabs for food, and on Saipan Island it is prohibited to collect coconut crabs with a thoracic length of less than 3.5 centimetres, or between 1st June and 30th September when breeding occurs (2) (4). However, it is important to conduct thorough surveys to determine the full distribution of this species, and ascertain the extent to which populations are threatened in order to help develop conservation measures. There have been proposals for a reserve in the Togian Islands, Sulawesi for this species' protection, and also the establishment of captive breeding programs (2). Though the coconut crab is not severely threatened, increasing populations, tourism and development on Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will soon threaten this crab as it has done so many species worldwide. It is therefore important to be pro-active and protect this unique species for the future (2).