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Samoa is home to abundant plant life including indigenous species and some foreign introduced plant species. A majority of the foreign plants were introduced to Samoa in the pre-independence era through arrival of the early missionaries, Germans and Japanese, for various purposes from medicinal use to construction. These plants can be found across all the four islands; Upolu, Savai’i, Manono and Apolima. As part of the EU-GIZ Adapting to Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (ACSE) programme, a component of the Energy Bill and Sustainable Bioenergy, Samoa project focuses on biomass resource assessments at the Samoa Trust Estates Corporation (STEC) Plantation at Mulifanua, Upolu. Through fieldwork for biomass resource assessments at the non-leased land areas within the STEC Mulifanua plantation, eight common plants were identified and further scientific analysis on each was conducted by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS). SROS laboratory tests took place over a period of 14 days using the Quality Management System implemented by SROS and which also meets the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, ISO/IEC 17025 (2005). Thus, this publication provides a brief description of these plants as well as some data on moisture content and energy content under different conditions.

Pacific islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Pacific island culture, traditions, economy and environment will be affected by the effects of climate change, marking an urgent call for partnerships and collaboration to increase the resilience of communities to adapt to these changes. More than 80% of Pacific Islanders live on or near the coast. Community action will ensure that Pacific islands are strengthened to reduce the impacts of climate change such as sea level rise and storm surges. This global change requires island action to protect your island home for future generations.

As a small island developing state, Samoa is particularly vulnerable to the threat of climat change, which significantly hampers its economic development and progress towards the millennium development goals (MDGs). In response to this threat, Samoa has prepared a National adaption programme of action (NAPA), which identifies the most urgent and immediate needs for adapting to the adverse efffects of climate change in the country. The preparation of the NAPA was done as part of samoa's commitment to implementing the united nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) which samoa, as a lease developed country (LDC) ratified the convention on 16 march 1993

The Barbados Plan of Action provides a framework for specific actions and measures to be taken at the national, regional and international levels in support of the sustainable development of small island developing states. Many of the issues faced today are related to the surrounding oceans such as climate change and sea level rise, global warming and the preservation of biodiversity.

The District Coastal Infrastructure Management (CIM) Plan for Faasaleleaga I District has been prepared as part of the Government of Samoa?s Infrastructure Asset Management Programme (IAMP). The CIM Plan is one of the primary means of implementing the CIM Strategy, which was formally approved by the Government of Samoa in February, 2001, as providing the Strategic direction for the management of infrastructure (both public and private) within the coastal area. The Strategy has as its central vision “Resilience – Coastal Infrastructure and Communities Resilient to Natural Hazards”. The CIM Plan takes this vision and provides the practical tools with which the communities and the government, in partnership, can implement the Strategy.

The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Renewable energy (RE), mostly hydro, is estimated to contribute less than 10 percent of each PICs commercial energy use and the region is characterized by scattered and fragmented efforts to promote RE technologies that are based on unreliable and unsubstantiated data on RE resource potentials. The Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP) will facilitate the promotion within the PICs of the widespread implementation and ultimately, commercialisation of RE technologies (RETs) through the establishment of a suitable enabling environment. The establishment of an environment conducive to the region-wide adoption and commercialisation of RETs would involve the design, development and implementation of appropriate policies, strategies and interventions addressing the fiscal, financial, regulatory, market, technical and information barriers to RE development and utilization. It will also involve the development of interventions for strengthening of the relevant institutional structures and national capacity for the coordination and the sustainable management (design, implementation, monitoring, maintenance, evaluation and the marketing) of RE initiatives in each PIC. This Project Document has been revised to reflect minor changes suggested by SPREP at a meeting Friday the 6th of September 2002 between SPREP and UNDP to improve clarity concerning internal communications in SPREP between the CTA and the management level and external communications between SPREP and UNDP management levels. Refer to Part IV - Management Arrangements and the Terms of Reference in Appendix B. C.and D.

The Seventh Meeting of the Regional Meteorological Services Directors (RMSD) was convened by SPREP to advance regional collaboration in meteorology, climate services, and disaster risk reduction. Opening remarks by officials from SPREP, WMO, and the Government of Samoa emphasized the critical role of National Meteorological Services (NMSs) in supporting climate resilience and sustainable development across the Pacific. Key outcomes included reflections on the evolution of RMSD since 1993, the strategic importance of the 2000 Needs Analysis, and discussions on integrating meteorological services with broader policy frameworks, such as those informed by the IPCC and GCOS. The meeting reaffirmed commitments to regional cooperation, sustainable resourcing, and implementation of the Strategic Plan, while addressing challenges faced by under-resourced NMSs. A new chairperson from Samoa was elected, and the session reviewed prior recommendations to ensure continuity and effectiveness in service delivery.

International Waters is one of four focal areas of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF was created in 1994 to fulfill a unique niche - that of providing financing for programmes and projects to achieve global environment benefits in four focal areas: biodiversity, climate change, international waters, and ozone layer depletion — and in land degradation as it relates to these focal areas.