Prior to this survey, the island nation of Samoa had not been systematically surveyed for freshwater biodiversity despite the clear role of freshwater and the associated biodiversity in providing essential ecosystem services. This report is beginning to address this gap in knowledge in Samoa by presenting the preliminary results from the first of an anticipated series of freshwater surveys and in-field trainings for Samoa with the target organisms being fishes and macro-crustaceans.
Biodiversity is more than just the number of animal and plant species in the world. Biodiversity is who we are, what we eat, where we live, what we do and, most importantly, how all of these things come together to form a whole. The preoccupations of our daily lives often blind us to the dangers threatening fragile ecosystems around the globe. But we ignore these threats at our peril, for we are all connected to the many facets of the planets diverse ecosystems.
The Basel Convention was created to respond to increased public concern about toxic wastes in the
1980s. Tighter environmental regulation in industrialized countries resulted in sharp increases in
the cost of hazardous waste disposal in these countries. Traders started shipping hazardous waste
to less developed countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and other regions. There were concerns about
toxic ships sailing from port to port trying to offload their poisonous cargo. In some cases, toxic
A mid-term assessment of progress towards the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
Available online
Call Number: 338.9635 SEC [EL]
ISBN/ISSN: 92-9225-539-8
Physical Description: 155p. : ill. (col.) ; 29cm.