Search the SPREP Catalogue

This report is the review of terrestrial biological information in Samoa and was written by MNRE with the technical support of Conservation International (CI). It is a contribution to Samoa’s Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) which is currently being implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (MNRE), with funding provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Samoa has 13 declared protected areas (PAs), including three Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and 3 community managed conservation areas (CAs) (see annex 1). The terrestrial coverage of Samoa’s protected area network is approximately 7% of Samoa’s land area. However Samoa’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) has a target protected area coverage of 15% of land and presumably, near shore (Schuster and Butler (eds) 2001).

The Jungle myna (Acridotheres fuscus) was first recorded in Upolu in 1965, followed by the Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) in 1988 (Watling, 2001). It is believed they were introduced to control livestock ticks and unexpectedly became an invasive species; over the past two decades their populations have increased dramatically. They are now found throughout Samoa with high density populations concentrated in the Apia town area and neighboring villages