20 Dollars - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait, Conservation

Fiji's 1978 Conservation series was issued as part of a coordinated IUCN-backed program that prompted dozens of nations to produce wildlife-themed coinage throughout the late 1970s, with proceeds nominally directed toward species preservation efforts. The .500 fineness was a deliberate cost-reduction measure common to many Commonwealth commemorative issues of the period, keeping production viable for smaller issuing territories.

The specific fauna highlighted in Fiji's contribution to the series reflected genuine regional conservation pressure at the time.