American Samoa coral reef marine protected area strategy

Abstract

Coral reefs are an important natural resource in American Samoa providing protection, food, and other benefits. American Samoa's reefs have suffered numerous natural and anthropogenic destructive impacts including crown-of-thorns starfish infestations, coral bleaching events, cyclones, sedimentation and pollution. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one form of management that can be used to address some of these threats to the reefs. Studies have shown that well-designed no-take reserves are particularly effective in maintaining biodiversity, productivity and ecological integrity of coral reefs (NOAA, 2002). MPAs also protect trophic systems and ecosystem resilience. On August 2, 2000 then-Governor Tauese Sunia requested a plan be developed for coral reef protection to reach the goal of protecting twenty percent (20%) of Territorial coral reefs as "no-take" MPA's (Sunia, 2000). To ensure effective management, the American Samoa Government has acknowledged the need for a Coral Reef MPA Strategy that can guide the creation of new no take MPAs. The American Samoa Coral Reef MPA Strategy covers the coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa, which are understood to include coral, seagrass, macroalgae, coralline algae, turf algae, emergent vegetation and mangroves.