DEFINITION - % of total arable land that is under cultivation
PURPOSE - Tracks the area of arable land that is developed for agriculture
DESIRE OUTCOME - Stable trend in area under cultivation. A decreasing area under cultivation might affect food security and an increasing trend under area under cultivation implies some conversion of natural vegetation to agriculture
DEFINITION - % cover of wetlands, mangroves, and seagrass
PURPOSE - Wetlands, mangroves and seagrass provide ecosystem services not provided by other ecosystems (such as nurseries for economically important fish species, natural flood mitigation and water filter systems). They also support plants and animals not found in other ecosystems.
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable or positive trend in area of wetlands and mangroves
DEFINITION - % of live coral cover in coastal and marine environments
PURPOSE - Indicator of overall health of reef ecosystems. These ecosystems provide important services for humans
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable or positive trend in live coral cover
DEFINITION - Enterococci levels in water samples
PURPOSE - Enterococci are bacteria found in the intestines of animals and humans and indicate the presence of faecal pollution in coastal waters
DESIRED OUTCOME - Enterococci levels are within the safe threshold for marine recreation at all monitored sites. Current United States EPA thresholds are
DEFINITION - Trends in biomass of tuna species
PURPOSE - Track the health of this important component of the ocean ecosystem
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable biomass catch
DEFINITION - Fish biomass for inshore fish populations
PURPOSE - Indicates inshore fish population status and reef health
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable level of biomass; or juvenile fish are not overrepresented in markets
DEFINITION - % of plastic in waste audits, including beach clean-ups
PURPOSE- Determine trends in marine plastic pollution from land and at-sea sources
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable or declining trend in proportion of plastic in waste audits
Indicator 13 : Terrestrial Protected Areas
Indicator 14 : Marine Protected Areas
Indicator 15 : Protected Area Management Effectiveness
Indicator 16 : Key biodiversity areas protected
Indicator 17 : Governance and equity of protected areas
Indicator 18 : Integration of protected areas into wider land and seascapes
Indicator 19 : Invasive species under management or eradicated
Indicator 20 : Priority sites with invasive species managed
DEFINITION : Population abundance of identified species
PURPOSE : Tracks the status of populations of priority species over time
DESIRED OUTCOME : Stable or positive trend in population size
DEFINITIO : Number and types of species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List and a summary of their threats
PURPOSE : Track the status of threatened species and understand the most important threats
DESIRED OUTCOME : Trend for species to be downgraded to lower threat levels or off the threatened species list
State of Environment Reports
Since the adoption of Agenda 21 following the United Nations Conference on Environment and development in 1992, this report constitutes the first opportunity for Samoa to assess its situation with regard to sustainable development in the past decade
A presentation on water issues (i.e catchment deterioration, low river flows (dry season), frequent flash-flood (wet season), changed river flow patterns over time, high soil erosion, turbid & colored water) and culture (i.e, customary land ownership, ownership of river courses) in Samoa.
An assessment framework based on key habitats in Samoa:
* cloud forest and uplands
* lowlands, coastal strand
* nearshore marine, offshore marine, and rivers and streams
* climate change, air quality, waste disposal, renewable energy, and population pressures.
It also assesses the status of Samoa’s species of high conservation value, especially those that are endemic and critically endangered.
"This document represents a concise but nevertheless comprehensive report on the State of the Environment in Western Samoa. It was prepared as supporting documentation to the National Environment and Development Management Strategies document and process which culminated in Cabinet-endorsed strategies aimed at ensuring that present and future development activities within Western Samoa are undertaken with all due consideration for sustaining environmental quality. This State of Environment Report was one of several documents prepared for this process."
The 2006 State of Environment Report (SOE) Report illustrates very clearly Samoa‟s environmental
vulnerabilities and challenges, as well as supporting the creation of a more enabling sustainable
development environment. Much of this Report, however, summarizes the current state of knowledge
about the environment of Samoa. It instigates the move towards identifying Sustainable
Environmental Management (SEM) indicators, and then covers them separately in the areas of
Reviewing and reporting the state of the environment of Samoa is an important part of the government’s mandate for achieving environmentally sound and sustainable development. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) is entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the monitoring and review of the state of Samoa’s environment with the cooperation and support of its stakeholders in line Ministries, Non-Governmental Organisations and the wider community.
Assessing Samoa's situation with regard to sustainable development in the past decade.
A thorough presentation on issues pertaining to water and culture in Samoa