Tropical rainforests of Samoa
The tropical rainforests of Samoa ( English Samoan tropical moist forests ) are an ecoregion of tropical rainforests on the Samoa islands in the three forms of lowland forests , mountain forests and cloud forests . They are the islands' potentially natural vegetation .
geography
The Central Savaiʻi Rainforest on the island of Savaiʻi forms the largest contiguous rainforest area in Polynesia with an area of 727 km² . There are more than 100 volcanic craters and modern lava flows here. To the northwest is the Falealupo Rainforest Reserve and to the southeast is the Tafua Peninsula Rainforest Preserve .
The forests of the O Le Pupu-Pue National Park reserve on Upolu in the interior of the island are the habitat for most endemic animal species.
In 1994 Samoa ratified the international biodiversity convention for national strategies for nature conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity . In 2010 only 5% of the state's area was under nature protection. Most of the land area of Samoa is owned by local people and is subject to traditional rules (customary land). About 81% of this is administered at the local level by the Matai (chiefs). Therefore, the nature conservation projects are also designed in cooperation with the Matai (for example in Falealupo and Tafua ).
fauna and Flora
About 30% of the animal and plant species in Samoa are endemic. New species are constantly being discovered, for example two species of butterflies and freshwater fish in 2009. There are more native species of ferns and butterflies in Samoa than in New Zealand , which is 85 times the area.
These include the tooth-billed pigeon ( Didinculus strigirostris , "Manumea"), the national bird of Samoa, and other birds, such as the Maohonigfresser ( Gymnomyza samoensis ), Samoa Brillenvogel ( Zosterops samoensis ) and Samoa Pfuhl chicken ( Gallinula pacifica ). The samoa grouse was last observed in 1873 and there may have been sightings in the highlands in 1984 and at Silisili volcano in 2003 .
The predominant plant species are Diospyros samoense , Diospyros elliptica , Calophyllum inophyllum , Dysoxylum samoense and Dysoxylum maota , Pometia pinnata , Planchonella samoense , Syzygium spp. and Myristica fatua , as well as Dysoxylum huntii at higher altitudes .
Individual evidence
- ↑ globalspecies.org
- ↑ WWF ecoregion, oc0112 . Samoa tropical moist forests.
- ↑ samoa.travel .
- ↑ Aiono Fana'afi Le Tagaloa: Land Rights of Pacific Women. In: Western Samoa: the sacred covenant. Institute of Pacific Studies of the University of the South Pacific 1986: 103. ISBN 982-02-0012-1
- ↑ Species factsheet . In: Birdlife International . 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.