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, conducted a stakeholder consultation with representatives of Siumu District on 25th Tuesday August 2026. The consultation is part of the project’s ongoing engagement across the nine target districts in Upolu and Savai’i and marks the second-to-last district consultation in the current round of consultations. The Project is implemented by MNRE in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project aims to strengthen the resilience of Samoa’s ecosystems and communities to climate change and other environmental pressures.
The consultation provided an opportunity to update community representatives on the project’s objectives, planned interventions, and implementation arrangements, with a particular focus on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and opportunities for community participation in the sustainable management of natural resources. Representatives from villages within the Siumu District shared their views, priorities, and local knowledge to help inform the identification and prioritization of project interventions, ensuring that community perspectives continue to guide project planning and implementation across the target districts.
The consultation also supported the implementation of the project’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey, which is being undertaken to establish baseline information on community knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to coastal resilience, natural resource management, and environmental conservation. Information gathered through the consultation process and KAP Survey will contribute to evidence-based planning, monitoring, and implementation of project activities while strengthening community ownership and participation in building resilient landscapes and seascapes for the benefit of present and future generations.