A collaboration involving government departments, civil societies, private sector, and academia, to build the resilience of the Moata’a Mangroves andbenefit the ecosystem and socio-economic wellbeing of villagers, is underway.
The Moata’a Mangrove Ecosystem Situational Analysis to be undertaken by SPREP, Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and academics from The University of Newcastle and the National University of Samoa, is driven by the village’s desire to conserve the remaining mangrove area and ensure their future livelihoods by developing the area into a key environmental education and eco-tourism site - the Moata’a Living Lab
“To achieve this goal, several social and environmental challenges that directly impact the mangroves need to be addressed,” said Dr Sascha Fuller, who is leading this project from The University of Newcastle’s Pacific Node initiative.
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Some of the first steps towards the realisation of this goal were taken this week with a conversation involving key stakeholders during an inception workshop to map out the implementation phase of the project.
“Mangrove ecosystems play a critical role in our daily lives,” said SPREP’s Director General, Mr Kosi Latu.“Not only do they provides shelter and nutrients for fish and other marine species that we depend on for food and income, but they also act as our first line of defense against severe weather events such as storm surges and other hazards such as tsunamis.”
In Samoa, the Moata’a mangroves are considered “most vulnerable” to the threat of development and climate change, because of their proximity to the Apia Township.
The situational analysis will involve two separate but inter-related baseline studies that will inform future adaption and development actions. The first is a study of the human-mangrove relationship, through the findings from a household survey in the village of Moata’a. The second study is a hydro-sedimentation assessment using GIS mapping and numerical modelling to assess the vulnerability of the Moata’a mangrove to climate change, sea level rising and extreme weather events.
Mr. Latu adds: “Combined findings from these studies including recommendations will assist the village development council of Moata’a, the government departments, civil societies, private sector and partners to collaborative to make informed decisions on practical and cost-effective adaptation actions that are not only beneficial to health of the ecosystem, but to the socio-economic wellbeing of Moata’a village and the wider community within the vicinity of the mangrove ecosystem such as schools, hotels and retail businesses.”
Lenata’i Victor Tamapua, Member of Parliament of Vaimauga 2 and Moata’a welcomed the collaboration and expressed his sincere appreciation for all the efforts leading up to the project inception. He noted that the benefits will not just be for his constituents but also contribute to international efforts to improve the health of the ecosystem in Pacific.
He also acknowledged the partnership between SPREP and University of Newcastle. He thanked all the key ministries including MNRE who are working closely with SPREP for the project. He concluded that the Moataa mangrove ecosystem situation analysis project will build the adaptive capacity of the Moataa community to the impacts of climate and will also provide a better future for the younger generation.
Other key partners in attendance include the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), Samoa Tourism Authority (STA), Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC), Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD)and the National University of Samoa. The project is supported by the Irish Fund.