The American Samoa Local Action Strategies (LAS) are the result of a nearly two-year process that saw input from territorial agencies, non-profit groups, interested individuals, and other stake-holders such as local fishers, and federal agency partners. This process was initiated through the American
For one of the species potentially at some risk of poisoning under the proposed rat eradication regime, the Friendly Ground Dove, Nuutele and Nuulua hold populations that are nationally significant. The complete loss of these populations would threaten the survival of the taxon in Samoa. Some authors consider the Samoan doves to be a separate race (Gallicolumba s. stairi) from those in Fiji and Tonga (Watling, 2001). Outside Samoa, the race is only found on the small island of Ofu,
The European Commission has recently adopted the Thematic Strategy for soil protection (COM(2006)231 final), with the objective to ensure that Europe's soils remain healthy
and capable of supporting human activities and ecosystems. Climate change is identified as a common element in many soil threats. Therefore the Commission intends to assess the actual contribution of the protection of soil to climate change mitigation and the effects of climate change on soil productivity and the possible depletion of soil organic
In recent years, the European Commission has continuously developed the tool of cost-benefit analysis to better inform decision-makers in the process of settling on new directives and regulations concerning the environment. However, according to the Terms of Reference of this assignment "most studies in
the field of waste have been restricted to an analysis of costs and, at best, a relatively superficial description of benefits".
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Physical Description: 88 p.
1. During a recent survey around Upolu, Savaii and Nuutele the Yellow Crazy Ant was both observed and collected as samples in different locations.
2. The field survey reveals the extend distribution of the Yellow Crazy Ant through out Samoa.
3. 11 sites were visited in Savaii and 12 in Upolu and 1 in Nuutele; no survey was done on Nuulua due to weather conditions. On Upolu and Savaii the sites were located approximately 15km around the island.
One or two sites or stations fall inland.
The islands of Nu'utele and Nu'ulua have been identified as highly significant sites for conservation in Samoa. They hold large populations of species currently found nowhere else in the country' including threatened land-birds, seabirds and nesting
turtles. They also are the only offshore islands large enough and far enough offshore to be considered as refuges for several of the nation's species threatened on the larger islands by introduced mammalian pests. Such refuges have assumed greater
What is biodiversity? Biodiversity has different meanings depending on the situation being discussed and the target audience. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary defines biodiversity as being "The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat". This is definition is clearly sufficient for non-specialists. However, when looking more specifically at biodiversity, it becomes evident that thought needs to be given to other groups such as fungi, bacteria and archea.
The review of the institutional arrangements that govern water resources management in Samoa provides a snapshot of the current challenges faced and recommendations and action points to address these challenges. To carry out the review, a five stage approach was adopted that consisted of (1) Literature Review, (2) Institutional Inventory and Key Stakeholder consultations, (3) Gap Analysis, (4) Recommendations and Action Points, (5) Workshop on Findings.
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Physical Description: 50 p.
If current trends continue, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles will probably go extinct in the Pacific in our lifetime. Eastern Racific hawksbills are likely past the point of
no return, while green turtles and olive Ridleys are at a fraction of their former populations. The turtle decline is clear evidence that human activities are causing loss of biodiversity on our planet. If we choose to save Pacific
The objective of the evaluation is to provide the GEF Council with an assessment of how the GEF is implemented in Samoa. It reports on results from projects and assesses how these
projects are linked to national environmental and sustainable development strategies as well as the GEF mandate of generating global environmental benefits within its focal areas.
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Physical Description: 7 Pages
The restoration of the Islands of Nuutele and Nuulua is a priority of the Government of Samoa and the communities of Aleipata District. Planning is well advanced on a key element of this, the eradication of Pacific Rats (Rattus exulans) by aerial
spreading of toxic baits in mid-2006. The Friendly Ground Dove has been identified as a non-target species that may be at risk of taking the baits and one for which the Nuutele and Nuulua populations are significant. Several approaches for safeguarding
Climate change will have significant impacts in both Australia and across the globe. Australia is one of the most arid continents in the world. It is vulnerable to risks such
as disruptions to water supply; increases in the severity of storms, floods and droughts, coastal erosion due to sea level rise; and to negative human health impacts, for example through an increase in the range and spread of disease.1 The impacts of
International treaties and national policies seek to enhance global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. While it is important to continue to strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigation alone is not enough and will not be felt before the second half of the century. Global warming is already underway and adaptation strategies are now a matter of urgency, especially for the most vulnerable poor countries, which are even now being disproportionately affected.
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The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA) includes a requirement to establish the "Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology
1. A defining feature of the Pacific is the Western Pacific Warm Pool ecosystem. The limited land base of the area is distributed among 200 high islands and 2,500 low islands and atolls. All
participating islands lie in the tropical zone and experience sea surface temperatures that rarely fall below 20 degrees Celsius. In general, the islands increase in size from east to west such that over 83% of the region's land mass is situated in Papua New Guinea, and most of the rest is in the other Melanesian countries and territories.
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Climate change adaptation is vital for Pacific SIDS. Long-term effects, including the increasing frequency and severity of extreme events such as high rainfall, droughts, tropical cyclones, and storm surges are affecting the people in this region. Coupled with non-climate drivers, such as inappropriate land use, overexploitation of resources, increasing urbanization and population increase, development in the region is increasingly undermined.
The Palolo Deep Marine Reserve known for its unique shape, the deep, was established as a marine reserve in 1974 under the National Parks and Reserve Act. The reserve is a fringing reef comprising a total area of 137.5 hectares located at the northeast of Apia harbor. The proximity of the reserve to Apia town has attracted many tourists as well as local people to the reserve for recreational activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving as well as for researching
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Physical Description: 10 p.
The Territory of American Samoa lies roughly 14 degrees south of the equator between longitude 169 and 173 west and about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. The principal islands are Tutuila, Aunu'u, and the Manu'a islands (a cluster of three islands, Ta'u, Ofu and Olosega, located about 65 miles east of Tutuila). Swains Island, a small island with a population of less than 25 and Rose Atoll, an uninhabited atoll about 120 miles east of Tutuila make up the remainder of the territory.
The Africa Environment Information Network (AEIN) is a multi-stakeholder capacity building process that aims to harness and enhance access to information and knowledge to support the management of Africas environmental resources as assets for sustainable development. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of African countries to use good quality information on environmental assets to make informed investment choices at subnational and national levels, and manage these assets on a sustainable basis.
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This report presents an overview of the global assessment landscape and highlight elements of best practice with respect to the future undertaking of major assessments. It includes an analysis of existing and ongoing sub-regional and regional assessments from a multi-thematic perspective.