ย Efforts to strengthen biodiversity monitoring and environmental reporting in Samoa took an important step forward with the introduction of the Central Biodiversity Monitoring System (CBMS) during a stakeholder consultation meeting held on Monday, 9 March 2026 at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Conference Rooms 1 and 2.
ย ย ย – The CBMS is being developed as a centralized national platform for biodiversity monitoring, aimed at strengthening Samoaโs capacity to collect, manage, analyse, and report environmental data in a more coordinated and effective manner. The system will support evidence-based decision-making and enhance national environmental governance through improved data integration across government agencies and partner institutions.
ย ย – At present, biodiversity and environmental monitoring data in Samoa are collected by various ministries and organizations using different methodologies and reporting systems. While these initiatives generate valuable information, the absence of a unified platform limits the ability to produce comprehensive national analysis and coordinated reporting.
ย – The CBMS seeks to address this challenge by establishing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society monitoring system that integrates biodiversity data across sectors. The system will standardize monitoring indicators and methodologies, strengthen data validation and reporting processes, and provide tools for data storage, visualization, and analysis through dashboards, maps, and environmental reports.
ย ย – Importantly, the system will support the implementation of Samoaโs National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), contribute to the preparation of the State of the Environment (SOE) Report, and strengthen Samoaโs reporting obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the KunmingโMontreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
ย ย –ย The introductory meeting brought together stakeholder representatives from government ministries, development partners, academia, the private sector and non-governmental organizations which was then followed by a series of technical consultations with each of the stakeholders designed to further inform the development of the CBMS to ensure alignment with existing monitoring systems and institutional mandates.
ย – The Ministry would like to acknowledge the United National Development Programme (UNDP), through the Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF), whose financial support has made the development of the CBMS possible.