The Ministry and partners have officially launched Management Plans for the Aleipata Districts Marine Protected Area (MPA) and Mangrove Ecosystems of the villages of Poutasi, Vaovai and LotopueMalaela, at a ceremony hosted at Tanoa Hotel on 15th December 2020.

The plans are some of the key outputs of the district level subproject “Strengthen monitoring of marine and coastal ecosystems as an adaptive measure to safeguard biodiversity and enhance the resilience and adaptive capability of communities against climate change” for Aleipata and Falealili districts. The subproject is implemented by the Government through MNRE with the financial support of the World Bank’s Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

These plans will manage conservation efforts for marine protected areas and mangrove reserves, and protects important ecological habitats and wildlife, ensures sustainable developments and management of these ecosystems through adaptive co-management principles and practices that are led by the communities in close partnership with the Government through MNRE. It supports efforts to enhance ecological resilience of the marine and coastal environment to withstand adverse impacts of climate change on coastal marine biodiversity in Samoa and support community livelihoods.

The development of these plans was through a thorough consultative process to identify priorities, issues and management solutions to address the challenges. The successful realization of these management plans was made possible through the collective efforts of MNRE in close partnership with the communities and support of key line sectors – Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD), Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF); to ensure better integrated management of marine and coastal ecosystems for enhanced and improved resilience. The Government through MNRE will be working closely with the communities in implementing the Plans in the next five years