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Forests and forestry in Samoa are impacted by a number of factors acting sometimes singly but more often, in combination. The most pronounced and dramatic in effect have been environmental, economic and demographic. Samoa’s forest cover has been declining steadily since the first aerial photos were taken in 1954 due to agro-deforestation and later, during the mid 1970s, by logging. Tropical cyclones have played their part in forest degradation and fragmentation (Whitmore 1984), but the 1990 and 1991 cyclones were especially devastating, both in the extent of degradation and loss to the native forests, but more so on the plantation forest resource.

The sustainability of conservation area projects presently supported by the South Pacific Biodiversity Conservation Programme is a major concern as the programme winds down to its termination in December 2001. The development and implementation of transition strategies is currently preoccupying the Programme. This initiative seeks to ensure a smooth transition for each project to the post-SPBCP era. The challenge is to determine the most effective ways of using remaining SPBCP resources to ensure viable and sustainable conservation area projects.

Ecotourism demonstrates the potential for direct economic gain inherent in the non-extractive use of the natural environment based on its aesthetic and educational value. It requires for the natural environment to be intact and relatively pristine in state. Properly managed, ecotourism and nature conservation will complement and reinforce each other. But there are challenges in translating the ideal of ecotourism into an economically and ecologically viable venture for operators and owners of local sites and resources.