The Samoa Conservation Society (''Fa’asao Samoa'') is an

environmental organisation An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environment ...

based in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. Its purpose is to promote the conservation of Samoa’s biological diversity and natural heritage. The society is active in efforts to save the critically-endangered

Manumea The tooth-billed pigeon (''Didunculus strigirostris''), also known as the ''manumea'', is a large pigeon found only in Samoa. It is the only living species of genus ''Didunculus''. A related extinct species, the Tongan tooth-billed pigeon (''Did ...

, Samoa's national bird, and in

forest restoration Forest restoration is defined as “actions to re-instate ecological processes, which accelerate recovery of forest structure, ecological functioning and biodiversity levels towards those typical of climax forest” i.e. the end-stage of natural ...

. The society was established in 2013. Its founding president was Tofilau Tepa Suaesi. Its current president, elected in 2020, is James Atherton.

Campaigns

The society's first project was to save the ''manumea'', and included raising awareness of its habitat and conservation status, and monitoring to understand its breeding and feeding habits. In 2017 it led an international campaign with

Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo is a zoological garden in Auckland, New Zealand, situated next to Western Springs Park not far from Auckland's central business district. It is run by the Auckland Council with the Zoological Society of Auckland as a supporting or ...

and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to try and save the bird from extinction. In 2016 the society began a pilot program with MNRE on offsetting carbon emissions by planting trees in

O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park ("The Cliffs-Mountain") is the oldest national park in Samoa. Established in 1978, the park covers 5019 hectares of the southern-central portion of the island of Upolu on the border of the Atua and Tuamasaga distric ...

. This was expanded in 2017 into a national carbon offsetting programme. In mid 2021 the programme planted 5,000 trees in 6 months but has planted up to 25,000 trees since beginning in 2016. In 2019 the society conducted a series of surveys to identify and take cuttings and seeds from endangered plants, which discovered that the endangered ''Vavea Samoense'' tree may be extinct. In 2021 the society launched a petition campaign against

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...

's use of plastic bottles in Samoa.

Aims

The society has the following objectives: * To increase our knowledge and understanding of Samoa’s biodiversity and natural heritage through research and cataloguing of existing and new information; * To improve awareness and of Samoa’s biodiversity through the exchange of information and environmental educational activities; * To encourage the implementation of sustainable conservation projects and programmes that safeguard threatened species and ecosystems in collaboration with the Government of * Samoa, communities and other relevant stakeholders; * To develop and strengthen collaborative partnerships between like- minded individuals, organisations, resource owners and Government agencies to achieve the objectives of the SCS; * To raise funds and other resources that will assist with sustainable conservation projects, research and programmes for enhancing the protection of threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Organisations based in Samoa Nature conservation in Samoa Bird conservation organizations Organizations established in 2013