National Adaptation Programme of Action of Samoa.

The National Adaptation Programme of Action is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The overall purpose of this Programme of Action is to increase the resilience of livelihoods to the adverse impacts of climate change. The objectives of this Programme of Action are (I) development of adaptation activities, (II) protection of welfare of people, environment, and infrastructure, (III) integration of adaptation measures and goals into national and sectoral development policies, and (IV) awareness raising of communities, civil society and government on climate change impacts and adaptation activities.
Agricultural and food systems will be adapted to the impacts of climate change to ensure food security. The cultivation of resistant crop varieties such as drought-tolerant crops will be promoted.
Water quality, accessibility and availability will be improved against the adverse impacts of climate change on water resources, such as drought or flood. Alternative sustainable methods will be developed to provide safe water to communities with a focus on most vulnerable, and to prevent the spread of water borne diseases. In order to ensure availability and accessibility to good quality water in communities, water purification programs will be developed; natural springs will be well maintained and highly protected; and alternative water storage and water-use efficiency technology and programs will be developed. Evaluation and monitoring will be carried out on a regular basis particularly during the dry season. The operational response capacities for preventing, mitigating, preparedness for, responding to and recovering from forest fire emergencies will be enhanced by developing community-based forest fire plans, strengthening early warning and advisory monitoring systems, ensuring community participation, coordination and resource mobilization, and raising awareness on forest conservation. Sustainable forest growth will be promoted to ensure continuous availability of carbon dioxide sinks and supply of forest resources for community as well as nation-wide livelihood. Measures will be taken to eliminate waterborne, foodborne, air borne, and vector borne diseases through climate change adaptation. A user-friendly Climate and Health application database will be developed under the Health Information System, and the Community Health Nursing Information System. Furthermore, a Climate & Health Institute will be established for training and research to develop staff awareness, understanding and application of climate information and climate related technology. Effective early warning systems and emergency response measures will be developed to monitor the climate and extreme events for preparedness and response. In order to enable communities to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, the resilience of communities will be increased by being adaptive, responsive and quick to recover. Community-based agriculture will be developed by ensuring the availability and accessibility of alternative farming systems to increase productivity of farms whilst protecting water and soil. Urban planning will be carried out taking into account environmental planning, waste management, land use planning, coastal zone management, forest management and conservation, disaster risk management, and land and water resources. Coastal zone management will be strengthened to increase the resilience of coastal environment to the adverse impacts of climate change. Community-based conservation programs will be developed for the protection of highly vulnerable terrestrial and marine ecosystems to ensure biodiversity conservation and ecosystem preservation. To this end, sustainable biodiversity management plan will be developed at the community level. Climate change adaptation and mitigation will be integrated into the tourism industry through development of climate adapting and environmental friendly business practices.
The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Meteorology shall be responsible of monitoring the implementation of the Adaptation Programme of Action. The functions of the Ministry as an implementing agency are to (i) assess existing information on Samoa’s vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise, (ii) strengthen communication with multiple government agencies, ministries, corporations, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations in prioritizing urgent adaptation needs, and (iii) communicate to the development partners for emergency relief interventions for protection of the livelihood of Samoa from the damaging impacts of climate change.