National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) in Samoa
- Samoa
- Pacific
ENTRY DATE: 09.03.2012 | LAST UPDATE: 09.03.2012
SCALE:
- Community Level
TARGET AREA:
- Rural and Urban
BEST PRACTICE IN:
- Capacity Building
KEY SECTOR:
- Agriculture
FUNDING AMOUNT:
Description of Intervention
This NAPA project builds upon the national development goals, strategies and action plans implemented by the Government of Samoa. The 2005-2007 Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS) with its theme of ‘enhancing people’s choices’ had 6 priority strategic areas that guided Samoa’s development for the next three years continuing from past SDS periods. These include private sector development, agricultural development, tourism, community, education, and health development. The four National Environmental Management Strategies (NEMS), including the national waste management policy, national land use policy, the water resource policy and the national policy on population and sustainable development, have a common interest in promoting sustainable development. There are 9 sub-projects in NAPA.
Problems to be Addressed
• Instability of food production levels.
• Poor water quality, lack of accessibility and availability of water.
• Samoa’s biodiversity is very vulnerable to tropical cyclones, droughts and temperature fluctuations, and changes in precipitation patterns lead to changes in the habitats of endangered and endemic species.
• There is anecdotal evidence of an increase in vector-borne and water-borne diseases that reconfirms the already changing climate and the impact it has on the health sector.
• Forests are highly vulnerable to droughts, and their demise will have a direct impact on the watershed, timber resources, biodiversity, and will lead to more forest fires.
• Droughts will lead to rationing of electric power and high operating costs relying on diesel fuel for generating electric power. Climate change will have a direct impact on the tourism sector through the loss of beaches, inundation, and degradation of the coastal ecosystems, saline intrusion and damage to critical infrastructure.
Aims
The NAPA project’s purpose is to communicate urgent and immediate adaptation needs, and activities to address these needs. To develop strategies for capacity building amongst stakeholders and village communities in Samoa.
Objectives
Sub-Project 1: Securing Community Water Resources.
• Develop water purification and watershed management programs for local communities;
• Look into alternative water storage programs; and
• Carry out restoration of coastal springs in local Samoan communities.
Sub Project 2: Reforestation, Rehabilitation and Community Forestry Fire Prevention
• Strengthen and increase resilience of forest fire-prone areas;
• Develop and strengthen operational response capabilities of the surroundings;
• Train communities in preventing, mitigating, preparing for, responding to and recovering from forest fire emergencies;
• Development of all-inclusive community-based forest fire plans;
• Strengthening community early warning and advisory monitoring systems; and
• Generate awareness about protecting and reforesting coastal lowland areas and inland forest areas.
Sub Project 3: Climate Health Cooperation Program
• Strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships among specialists in climate, meteorology and health;
• Develop a user-friendly Climate and Health application database to be linked into the Health Information System (HIS), and the Community Health Nursing Information System (CHNIS) of Samoa; and
• Set up a climate and health institute to train and develop staff awareness, understanding and application of climate information and climate-related technology.
Sub Project 4: Climate Early Warning System
• Upgrade early warning systems and associated technical capabilities; and
• Enhance sectoral and public capabilities to understand and use climate and early warning hazard information.
Sub Project 5: Agriculture and Food Security Sustainability
• Develop a community-based, economically sustainable agricultural sector;
• Ensure an inspection management plan and programme for community-based plantations; secure food supply and nutrition;
• Ensure the availability and accessibility of alternative farming systems; and
• Improve the productivity of farms and plantations; at the same time reducing soil erosion and protecting water resources.
Sub Project 6: Zoning and Strategic Management Planning
• Put in place a phased and flexible approach to the adaptation of development tools to respond to the impacts of climate change;
• Integrate climate change policies and methods into all Sustainable Management Plans (SMPs) at the national, regional, district and site-specific level; and
• Mainstream climate change policy into the planning and urban management agency’s plans, policies and development assessment reports.
Sub Project 7: Coastal Infrastructure Management Plans for Highly Vulnerable Districts
• Review the best solutions identified in the CIM strategy implementation guidelines for action;
• Improve resilience in highly vulnerable districts;
• Implement urgent CIM plan activities in highly vulnerable areas;
• Use educational programmes to improve the awareness of districts to coastal hazard risks;
• Enable community and infrastructure providers to reduce coastal risks in the district; and
• Strengthen building codes to make structures resilient to cyclones.
Sub Project 8: Coastal Zone Management and coastal infrastructure protection
• Strengthen sustainable biodiversity management plan of action and high priority conservation areas within communities;
• Develop and update a database inventory for assessment, monitoring and evaluation works; and
• Develop an awareness programme to advance and maintain traditional and modern biodiversity management plans and practices.
Sub Project 9: Sustainable Tourism Adaptation |
• Increase capacity building and knowledge of local tourism business operators in communities;
• on climate change and related impacts;
• Implement tourist environment policies in community-based tourist ventures;
• Provide funding to implement counter-measures for climate change in the tourism industry;
• Promote and strengthen awareness on ecotourism and climate change; and
• Set clear protocols and procedures to involve other sectors and communities in promoting environment protection and adaptation to climate extreme events within the Samoan tourism industry.
How it fits into the EbA concept
Samoa, like other LDCs inherits high vulnerability to natural disasters and to external economic and trade developments for which it has no control. These natural disasters include tropical cyclones, prolonged periods of drought, extreme flooding, pestilence and sudden outbreak of diseases, storm surges and sea level rise. Climate change and sea level rise are serious concerns given that 70% of Samoa’s population and infrastructure are located on low-lying coastal areas. Samoa’s economy largely depends on its natural resources. The implementation of the project objectives will help Samoa become resilient to the projected impacts of climate change on the key sectors of its economy.