The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), through the GEF-8 Blue and Green Islands Integrated Programme – Coastal Resilience Samoa (BGI-IP CRS) Project, today conducted a stakeholder consultation with communities from Lefaga and Falease‘ela as part of the project’s district-by-district consultation and intervention prioritisation process.
The Coastal Resilience Samoa Project is a partnership between MNRE, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aimed at strengthening ecosystem resilience and supporting communities in responding to climate change, land degradation , biodiversity loss and unsustainable resource use .
The consultation provided an important platform for community representatives to learn more about the project, its planned Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and opportunities for community participation in sustainable natural resource management . It also enabled the project team to hear directly from communities and identify and prioritise interventions that reflect local needs and priorities. The consultation forms part of a wider engagement process covering nine target districts across Upolu and Savai‘i, with participation from village leaders, women and youth groups, community and other stakeholders.
Alongside the consultations, the project is also undertaking a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey to establish baseline information on community knowledge and practices relating to coastal resilience, natural resource management and environmental conservation . The information gathered through the consultation and survey process will help guide effective project planning, prioritisation, implementation and monitoring, ensuring that community perspectives remain central to building a more resilient Samoa .