The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) is continuing its work to save Samoa's national bird Manumea, which is on the verge of extinction. 

A stakeholder workshop was held by the Ministry last Friday to discuss and finalize a draft strategy for the conservation of Samoa’s national bird.

MNRE Chief Executive Officer, Ulu Bismarck Crawley, said the estimated population of the native bird species is less than 200 and the last sighting was made last year. 

“The whole idea of today was to put together the experience after the two years of consultation with the villages like Faleseela and Uafato where we identified it was where the Manumea was located.

“They were engaged through a consultation process and the strategies are intended to accommodate those findings for the whole interest of protection and conservation of the Manumea,” he said.

Ulu said it will also be good for the MNRE to look at an opportunity for testing, monitoring and evaluating of all efforts and effective strategies to consider barriers and resources, in order for all stakeholders to have a clear focus of the strategy to save the bird.

“The outcome of this strategy is to conserve it, so we need to see more of this bird around rather than extinction like it’s been listed as.

“We hope that the strategy now will also inform the response plans providing good guidance and clear tools that will be helpful to conserve and manage the Manumea,” he added.

Consequently, Ulu admitted that resources are needed in order to implement conservation activities, though it is always a challenge.

“Resources are always challenging as said the role of Government is very much to look to gather the right information to develop the right policies and regulation framework.

“To translate policies and laws into actual actions structures and this is where partnership between Government and stakeholders like the New Zealand High Commission and Samoa Conservation Society, South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and others come in,” he added. 

The MNRE chief executive officer urged the public to immediately contact the Ministry on telephone 67200 if anyone sighted the Manumea.