The Samoa Conservation Society (S.C.S.) is currently doing work on endemic plant species and has already identified 108 to study in more detail and work towards their preservation.

The S.C.S. Threatened Plant Conservation Coordinator, Aloma Black, told the Samoa Observer that her work is to conduct research, identification and analyses of the plants. 

And she continues to build on the number of plants that she is currently working on.

“There are 108 to preserve but we have started with eight, this year we want to add four to the list,” she said. 

Ms Black then referenced the pau plant Manilkara Samoensis which is endemic to Falealupo and the Niu Vao Clinostigma Samoense which is endemic to montane forest found on the island of Upolu.

“The plants are endemic to Samoa so they are only found here,” she said. “The pau tree is sometimes found to be tall and thin.

“But there are bigger plants which are found deeper into the forest but we don’t want people to know a lot about it because they might cut them down.”

Discussing the importance of her work, Ms Black said the critical nature of her job is the preservation of Samoa’s natural heritage.

“I love what I do because it means that we are preserving our natural heritage and if we lose these plants then the whole world loses them too.”

But as an employee of a not-for-profit organisation, she acknowledges that funding and support for the S.C.S. and its work would not have been possible without donors and the community’s support for their projects.

“I would also just like to mention our main donor, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, where we get the funding to make it possible to do all this conservation work, and also to acknowledge the communities we work with (mainly Falealupo and Aopo) for supporting this plant conservation work,” Ms Black said.

As for the stakeholders of the project, she said that they are working on conducting an awareness program with the villagers of Vailima and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is also invited to their workshop in the coming month.

The botanical garden in Vailima is an extension of the Dr Art Whistler memorial garden according to Ms Black. The workshop will be held to consult with the stakeholders on any feedback or recommendation.

“The garden will be designed in zones, so each zone will be a different ‘theme’ or environment type (for example coastal rainforest, lowland rainforest etc.) and we will try to plant as many threatened plants in its natural zone as possible,” she said. 

According to Ms Black, nearly 13 acres will be dedicated to the botanical gardens as laid out in the Vailima National Reserve management plan. 

She also said that the M.N.R.E. has been very supportive of what they do as the society partners with the Ministry in many of their projects.

The S.C.S. President James Atherton, who is also an environmentalist with over 20 years experience in the field, alluded to the work of the society and the many projects it is currently engaged in.

“We now have five staff but we are a community-focused organisation – that means we engage with the community to encourage them to own their conservation areas,” he said. 

Mr Atherton in an earlier interview told Samoa Observer that the funding is often a challenge for the N.G.O but they are always working hard to ensure donors are happy.