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The 17th Annual Meetiig of the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation was convened in Madi on the 15th May, 2014. The meeting object ves were to: Discuss PIRT core business which included membership, secretariat support, working groups and administrative operations of PIRT Report Dack on outcomes of the 9th Pacific Islands Conference including follow up actions. Discuss and agree on process for endorsement including implementation of the Framework for nature conservation and orotected areas in the Pacific Islands region 2014-2020. Priorities and oppo-tunities for PIRT including key events in 2014

To carry out a gap analysis on the adequacy of waste reception facilities in Apia port for vessels normally calling at the port. To carry out a gap analysis on the adequacy of waste reception facilities in Apia port in preparation for the P&O cruise vessel Pacific Jewel which will be in port during the United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States during September 2014 (SIDS Conference 2014).

An initial survey of the marine environment carried out in 2008 byDr.Posa Skelton and the Marine Conservation Section of the Division of Environment and Conservation, assessed selected sites for the presence of introduced species and the potential impacts on the marine environment. Surveys were conducted around the Apia harbour, Mulinuu and the Palolo Deep Marine Reserve- a total of eleven (11) sites. Findings from this initial assessment confirmed the presence of introduced species that were potentially invasive. This included two introduced seaweeds, Codiumarenicolaand Spatoglossummacroduntum that were observed distributed and well established across these sites.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the Pacific region’s major intergovernmental organisation charged with protecting and managing the environment and natural resources. SPREP works with and on behalf of its 21 member countries and territories to promote cooperation in the Pacific islands region, providing assistance to protect and improve the Pacific environment and to ensure sustainable development for present and future generations.

Marine Plants of Samoa is an invaluable guide to the marine flora of the Samoan Archipelago and provides a fully illustrated reference for students and researchers in the field.

Preparation of the Samoa Shadow Report On The Millennium Development Goals was outsourced to the O Le Siosiomaga Society Incorporated (OLSSI) by the Samoa Umbrella Non Governmental Organisation (SUNGO) in a collaboration project with the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and the Government of Samoa. The Shadow Report itself culminates weeks of advocacy work by Non Governmental Organisations that are members of SUNGO in association with relevant government ministries. These activities included information “spots” on local television, panel discussions over the radio, and two national workshops that included participants from communities throughout the country

To’atuga Reef is located between 6.5-7.4 km (3.5-4.0 nautical miles) north or seaward of Apia Harbour (middle) on the north coast of Upolo Island, Samoa. It is an elongate ridge of reef extending in a NW–SE axis, with a broad reef top which ranges between 15-22m descending on a slope of 300 450 with vertical sections to a sand and rubble bottom at 35-40m. The reef top is characterised by a low topographic relief with the undulating contours of small ridges and depressions. This report provides a baseline description of the major habitat types and dominant fauna present on the reef. A basic inventory and description of the To’atuga marine environment is undertaken. Transects were used to detail the occurrence primarily of fish, coral, algae, mobile invertebrates and physical substrate types. Preliminary species inventories were compiled for hard coral and fish, with records of other benthos. General features of the habitat such as the surge environment, current, depth, bathymetric profile, community type and dynamics are described. Bathymetric assessment was aided by the profiling of the reef by South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) which provided a framework for site position and general reef assessment. Impacts of storms, coral bleaching, disease and the human impacts of recreational diving, fishing and anchoring are discussed and management recommendations made.