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The Magiagi leaders, Pulega a Alii ma faipule wishes to dedicate a part of their land to establish a Rainforest Conservation Area (RCA). Their vision is for the protection and preservation of their natural and cultural resources to benefit current and future generations. The Management Plan 9MP), identifies key values of the Conservation Area (CA) and a set of objectives and strategies are developed to restore, protect and safeguard those values.

This BIORAP (Biological Rapid Assessment Program) survey was undertaken as part of the process to facilitate improved management of the forests and biodiversity of Upland Savai’i. More specifically, the survey was conducted to fill key gaps in the knowledge of this globally important put poorly studied region of montane and cloud forests. This information will be used to make better informed decisions on the conservation management of the biodiversity in the area in conjunction with Savai’i land-owning communities, relevant government departments and other partners.

The combined pressures of climate change and development will not only aggravate existing challenges to the conservation of biodiversity in the Pacific, but also introduce new difficulties. There are a wide range of historical, current and planned studies that examine specific aspects of the relationship between climate change, conservation and development in the Pacific. However, resource management decision-makers often aren’t able to allocate sufficient resources to review and synthesize lessons from the fast-moving body of climate change research into information that is directly relevant to their needs. Additionally, there are large gaps in the availability of baseline and monitoring data of species, habitats and ecosystem services that are critical to the livelihoods of the Pacific Island people. This lack of data is reducing the effectiveness of assessments of the vulnerability of the regional economy to climate change; an economy that is heavily dependent on natural resources.

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variability of life on earth from genes to species to the entire biosphere. Biodiversity provides immeasurable benefit to human societ- ies through medicine, food, fiber, ecosystem services, and cultural values. Yet, this diversity of life is under siege: species arc being lost at a rate far beyond the natural extinction rate.

This guide presents a vivid visual reference to all the land birds and breeding seabirds found across Samoa and American Samoa. Designed for ease of use in the field, it features detailed colour illustrations and concise identification cues to support naturalists, researchers, and birdwatching enthusiasts in the South Pacific.