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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.

Social and biophysical dimensions of ecosystems are inextricably related such that a change in one dimension is highly likely to generate a change in the other. Although change is a natural consequence of complex interactions, it must be monitored and even managed if the rate and direction of change threatens to undermine system resilience.

he importance of research in fisheries and aquaculture is referred to throughout the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, as is the need to disseminate and share the results of research. Stakeholders in developing countries generally are still waiting for reliable, high speed and cost-effective internet access that is widely available in the industrialised world. Once connected, users must grapple with, and make decisions about, myriad technological solutions that exist. These guidelines on digital publishing are targeted primarily at small organizations with limited resources in developing countries, in order to facilitate decision-making on how to publish and disseminate their information, with emphasis on the internet. The Guidelines are based on the years of experience of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and its partners. The approach is practical in orientation, covering topics including: