SAMOA. OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORESTRY IN THE PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES SIDE EVENTS 9 th November 2011

Transcription

1 OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORESTRY IN THE PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES SIDE EVENTS 9 th November 2011 SAMOA ASIA PACIFIC FORESTRY WEEK 2011 BEIJING CHINA 7 th 11 th November 2011

2 CONTENTS 1. Introduction; 2. How we Value our own Forest? 3. History and Changes of Forest Cover; 4. Current Challenges; 5. Forest Opportunities; 6. Forest New Initiatives.

3 INTRODUCTION

4 INTRODUCTION TOTAL LAND AREA - 282,852 ha, is the central to the economic and cultural structure ; POPULATION 180,000; 70% of its population and infrastructure are located on low lying coastal areas with 330 villages; CLIMATE- generally hot and wet, marked by a distinct wet and cyclone season (November to April) and dry season (May to October); SOCIAL - POLITICAL SETTING - became independent in 1962, after a period of administration by New Zealand as a trust territory of the United Nations;

5 INTRODUCTION Total Land Area (TLA) Ownership: - Government Land - 11% 30,384ha - STEC and SLAC - 5% 13,975ha - Freehold Land - 3% 8,837ha - Customary Land - 81% 229,656ha - Total - 100% 282,852ha

6 How we Value our Own Forest? Forest is an economic and cultural resource; Forest is a source of social benefits to local communities supplying food, wood and medicine; Forest offers environmental benefits providing habitats for animals and plants; Forest regulates water resources, providing soil protection;

7 How we Value our Own Forest? Forest moderates climatic conditions. Forest provides commercial opportunities based around forests such has eco-tourism, bio-prospecting and carbon trading; Samoan forests have offered a sense of spirituality, and are an intimate component of the Fa asamoa

8 History and Changes of Forest Cover Historical Forest Cover: (% of Total Area) Year Upolu Savaii Total Samoa /

9 History and Changes of Forest Cover Forest Area (FA) - 60% - 171,000ha - Closed Forest - 0% of FA - 0ha - Medium Forest - 42% of FA ha - Open Forest - 32% of FA ha - Secondary Forest - 22% of FA ha - Plantation Forest - 3% of FA ha - Mangrove & Wetland - 1% of FA ha

10 Current Challenges Impacts of Climate Change cyclones, GHG, long drought, high rainfall intensity, etc.; Unsustainable clearance of forests logging, agriculture, livestock, firewood, etc,; Land Ownership & Usage Rights 81% of total land area owned by communities; Lack of Enforcement of forest policies and acts limited fund for capacity building, limited manpower, etc.; Unreliable existing forest data for decision making very old;

11 Current Challenges Population Increase/Young Marriage Age pressure on clearance of forest; Lack of income and job opportunities from forest developments and production especially in rural areas; Impacts of Fast Growing Species/Invasive Species (FGS/IS); Lack of partnership with national, regional and international stakeholders;

12 Forest Opportunities Forest Management Act 2011 just approved; Organizational Structure of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment: CEO Corporate Services Division Division of Environment & Conservation Forestry Division Water Resource Management Division Planning & Urban Management Agency Renewable Energy Division Meteorology Division Technical Services Division Land Management Division GEF Programmes Legal Services National Steering Committee included related stakeholders set up to discuss any forest related issues; 500 flora species with 32% are endemic;

13 Forest Opportunities Hundred percent (100%) political support to forest sector; Improvement means of communication such as >3 Television channels, > 5 newspapers, >3 radio stations, etc. Location of Regional and International Organization Centers/Headquarters in the country such as FAO, SPREP, UNESCO, UNDP, EU, AusAID, NZAID, JICA, Chinese, USA, Netherland Embassy, etc. Government representatives in each 330 villages;

14 Forest New Initatives Total Land Area (TLA) ha - Protection Forest 29% of TLA ha - Production Forest 31% of TLA ha - Non Forest 40% of TLA ha

15 Forest New Initiatives Financial support of US$6.7M from FAO, JICA, GEF,UNDP,AusAID to promote appropriate tools to protect upland native forest and develop lowland forest such as - Sustainable Land management (SLM); - REDD Plus; - Sustainable Forest Management (SFM); - Climate Early Warning System (CLEWS); - Key Biodiversity Analysis (KBA); - Soil Resource Interpretation Model (SRIM); - Samoa Agro-forestry Tree Farming Program (SATFP); - Biomass Gasification (BG); - Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM), - GIS and RS, etc.

16 Forest New Initiatives National awareness days relates to forest such as FD, BD, WD, NHD, EW, etc. Close partnership with relevant stakeholders at community, national, regional and international level; Update Forest Resource Information One Million Tree Planting Campaign Capacity Building Community and National Levels; Policies and regulation reviewed and developed; Application of Incentive Innovation Technology on Forest and Non Forest Products Value Added; Etc.

17 NOT EASY WORK, WE DEPEND ON YOU TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP US MANAGE OUR FOREST THANK YOU