Search the SPREP Catalogue

The Apia Catchment is Samoa's selected IWRM demonstration project zone. It accommodates Lake Lanoto'o and its two main tributaries - Vaisigano and Fuluasou Rivers, which are very important water sources for drinking water, hydropower, bio-diversity and tourism. Unfortunately, with increasing population and development pressures over the years, this catchment area has become significantly degraded from problems such as soil erosion, siltation, water pollution/contamination and water shortages, causing major concern to the Government.

The Action Strategy for Nature Conservation in the Pacific Islands Region for 2003-2007, arose out of the 7th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas which was held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, in July 2002. It was then endorsed by the member country representatives of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) at the September 2003 SPREP Meeting and it was meant to represent a consensus on the priority concerns for conservation and ways in which these can be addressed.

The intentional and unintentional transfer of species from one water body to another around the world has boomed in recent decades. Many seas and regions have been invaded by a high number of non-native species. Some of these species thrive in their new habitats, out-competing native species and changing ecosystems, sometimes dramatically. Alien Invasive Species (AIS) are currently perceived to be one of the primary threats to biological diversity. Throughout the world, marine resource managers are in the process of setting up marine protected areas (MPAs), sanctuaries, estuarine reserves and fishing closures as a means to preserve our marine biodiversity and living resources. Given the high ecological value of these areas, the efforts undertaken and the funds disbursed to conserve it, biodiversity loss in such places is even more dramatic than in others.