Samoa’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2001.

The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The main objective of this policy is to ensure conservation and sustainable management of biological and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
Agrobiodiversity programmes will be developed to ensure food security by increasing food production.
This policy lays down strategies to promote conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and genetic resources. The conservation of Samoa’s native and other important species will be promoted and mechanisms will be provided for their sustainable use. Moreover, environmental impact assessments will be conducted for all development projects to minimize any adverse impacts on Samoa’s biodiversity. The effective implementation of conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity will be ensured.
Social and economic development through the utilization of biodiversity resources will be guided by precautionary principles and sustainable measures. The communities will be empowered to conserve and sustainably manage biodiversity under customary resource tenure. The awareness and understanding of local and traditional communities on the importance of conservation and sustainable management and use of biodiversity will be strengthened through appropriate awareness campaigns and educational programmes.
The policy and legal frameworks will be developed for the monitoring, conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity. To this end, biodiversity conservation will be integrated into all relevant sectoral policies, programmes and plans and the appropriate legislation will be developed and effectively enforced. The cooperation between all stakeholders including the private sector will be strengthened in an integrated and cross-sectoral manner. The involvement of the local and traditional communities will be encouraged in the conservation and sustainable management of Samoa’s biodiversity. In addition, a national register will be developed to document and preserve traditional knowledge, practices and innovation important for the conservation of biodiversity. The equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources will be ensured amongst all stakeholders. Public awareness wil be raised on biodiversity conservation through educational programmes at all levels. Human and institutional capacities will be enhanced at all levels of the government, private sector, NGOs and communities, to better achieve Samoa’s responsibilities to the environment. Research will be promoted for the identification, documentation and monitoring of Samoa’s ecosystems for the implementation of appropriate management programs. The percentage of Samoa’s protected areas from the existing total land, including coastal areas, will be increased. Access to funding mechanisms from local and international sources will be ensured to secure long-term financial sustainability of all conservation and biodiversity related programmes. Moreover, a Conservation Trust Fund will be established for the implementation of the NBSAP and relevant Biodiversity Work.
The prevention, control and eradication of harmful native and alien species will be strengthened in order to ensure the restoration of endangered species and sustainability of Samoa’s biodiversity. Furthermore, Samoa's native biodiversity will be protected from the impacts of alien species through effective border control, effective quarantine and eradication programmes. Appropriate policies, legislation and programmes will be developed to ensure the effective management of biosecurity and effective control and eradication of pest outbreaks.