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Overall, it appears that there are no urgent environmental health concerns although a number of items will require significant attention during the coming weeks to ensure that ecological impacts are minimized. The most severe damage was found at Poloa, Amanave, Leone, Pago Pago, Alao, and Tula although widespread damage was also reported from Masefau, Vatia, Amaluia, and Asili. Marine and coastal debris is going to need extensive manual labor to assist with removal. Ideally, SCUBA divers would be used to check for sunken debris in deeper water, such as pieces of tin roof, as the longer the debris is left in the environment, the more likely coral reef damage is going to occur. Additionally, surveys are currently underway to assess general damage to reefs from the force of the wave although existing staff and equipment is minimal. No severe impacts to wildlife were noted from land other than small to moderate numbers of reef fish washed ashore in certain locations. Nearly all affected coastlines are suitable for staging areas.

The Regional Maritime Legal Advisor. Captain Dr. Peter Heathcote was in Samoa from 29 November to 04 December to assist the Ministry of Works. Transport and Infrastructure, the Samoa Shipping Corporation (SSC) and the Samoa Ports Authority (SPA) implement the recent amendments to the SOLAS Convention dealing with Maritime Security and the new International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code. During this short visit, an enormous amount of work was accomplished. Saturday morning saw the drafting of the necessary preparatory documentation for the Maritime Security Committee (MSC) Meeting on Monday morning. Early on Sunday morning the RMLA and [the Principal Surveyor of the Marine Division conducted an inspection of the port area, as well as two self-propelled landing-craft type vessels owned by SSC, the "Forum Express" and the "Fora O Samoa". Also noted was the passenger/cargo vessel "Tokelau' that operates between Samoa and Tokelau, which will also have to complete similar security measures. The next three days were consumed with meetings and inspections, and the evenings filled with drafting regulations and developing security plans.

The National Capacity Self-Assessments (NCSA) projects assist developing countries and economies in transition to assess capacity to meet requirements under the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity (UNCBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). UNDP is supporting 116 countries to prepare a NCSA. This Resource Kit is the core of UNDP's technical backstopping to those countries. Its purpose is to guide Project Teams through every step of project implementation, from project signature until project cb- sure.