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It is important to respect Samoa’s traditional knowledge, values, pre-existing perceptions and relationship towards environment, conservation, and community development. Effective community engagement needs cooperation from community members, stakeholders, community leaders, partners, and all those in association with the engagement effort—especially village and community leadership. This must be trustbased. Building relationships is a key part of reciprocal respect and a foundation of learning.

The Green Livelihoods project is being led by Samoa Conservation Society (SCS) with funding from the Civil Society Support Programme (CSSP). It has two objectives that are closely related to Samoa: 1. to raise awareness amongst youths of Samoa's environment of the range of threats facing it and how to manage these environmental threat. 2. to promote and demonstrate Green livelihood options amongst youth

Samoa's national bird, the Manumea, is a scientific curiosity a key player in a healthy Samoan rainforest and a cultural icon for Samoa. Unique to Samoa it is also highly threatened and at risk of extinction in our lifetimes. The purpose of this campaign is to identify and adopt the specific changes in behaviour that we need to take to save our national bird, before it is too late.

The critically endangered Manumea or Tooth-billed pigeon is found only in Samoa and is highly significant in its cultural heritage. The pigeon only lives within and on the edges of intact mature native forest. Its number appear to have dropped dramaitically during the last 10-15 years, mostly through loss of habitat, hunding and possibly due to the impact of introduces invasive predators.

Les sites d’action visé par le plan de travail font référence aux parcelles affectées par la Polynésie française à sa Direction de la Culture et du Patrimoine (DCP) pour la gestion du Paysage Culturel Taputapuātea. De par cette maîtrise foncière s’en suit un droit d’intervention dans le cadre précis sur la lutte contre les espèces exotiques envahissantes. De plus elle permet de garantir le suivi et l’évaluation des actions qui seront menées sur la période du projet et voir au-delà. Globalement, en matière de biodiversité et de la culture polynésiennne ces sites se définissent selon 3 critères: (i) chaque site présente un attrait culturel majeur avec la présence plus ou moins importante de vestiges archéologiques; (ii) la faune et la flore qui s’y développe est indigène et/ou d’introduction polynésienne “naturalisé”; et (iii) des espèces protégés par le code de l’environnement polynésien et incrites sur la liste rouge de l’UICN sont présentes. La sacralité et le respect de ces lieux par la communauté locale est un atout de préservation de ces attributs « Nature et culture ». Ces sites s’incrivents dans un paysage anthropisé, il faut néanmoins les considérés comme des points refuge pour la biodiversité.

Importance of relationships in conservation action

There are 5 important questions to answer to decide if any proposed vertebrate eradication is feasible. Richard Griffiths discusses it here

Sam Panapa, the National Invasive Species Coordinator speaks about the challenges there resides in Tokelau regarding Invasive species Management. Furthermore he explains how they have rose to the occasion in attempt to eradicate the existing invasive species

Terrestrial Biodiversity Conservation Offficer, Vatapuia Maiava, explains the importance of the PRISMSS course and how it has helped in providing insight into invasive species work in the region. Furthermore, explains the aims that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has in working with PRISMSS in the future.

Te Papa Atawhai (DocNZ) acknowledges their shoulder in supporting Pacific communities through PRISMSS as partners.