Current text from the 1991 IUCN Directory of Protected Areas in Oceania

USA - AMERICAN SAMOA

Area 202 sq. km

Population 36,000 (NPS and ASG, 1988)

Natural increase: No information

Economic Indicators

GNP: No information

Policy and Legislation American Samoa is a semi- autonomous, unincorporated Territory of the United States in which most, but not all, of the Articles of the US Constitution apply. A constitution was adopted in 1960 under which the legislature, executive and judicial branches of government are created. The traditional form of government, the matai system, primarily comprises the high chiefs. In matters concerning the use of land the traditional system plays a pivotal role and decisions regarding land are still controlled by the matai (NPS and ASG, 1988).

Communal tenure exists in American Samoa, with rights to use resources being held in common. The land tenure system is derived from the structure of the family organisation, usually referred to as the matai system. The most important social unit is the "aiga", a large extended family headed by a matai, or chief, who holds the traditional title of that family. Each village has matai titles and land rights belong to the aiga in perpetuity. Land may be passed from one member of the aiga to another, or to another family when a new matai is created. Under American Samoa law, a matai is prohibited from selling, giving, exchanging or in any way disposing of communal lands to a non-Samoan without the written permission of the Governor. While the American Samoan constitution protects Samoans against alienation of their land, communal land may be conveyed or transferred for public purposes to the US government or the government of American Samoa, although this has never been done on a sufficient scale to establish a protected area.

The various protected areas in the country have been established under a diversity of legal acts. Some United States Federal legislation applies, including the 1972 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (P.L. 92-532; 16 USC 1431-1434), which authorises the Secretary of Commerce, with Presidential approval, to designate ocean water as marine sanctuaries for the purpose of preserving or restoring conservation, recreational, ecological or aesthetic values. Such marine sanctuaries are built around existing, distinctive resources where protection and beneficial use require comprehensive planning and management. A site can be nominated by a private party, a state or a state agency. Once a site has been nominated a public hearing must be held in the area most directly affected (Weiting et al., 1975). Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary was established under the provisions of this Act.

Rose Atoll is established under provisions of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act 1966. The basic statutory protection for wildlife refuges prohibits entry, disturbance or exploitation of the site, although there are provisions for exceptions to be made.

A number of national natural landmarks have been designated. The objective of the NationalNatural Landmark Program, administratively created and not defined in any legislation, is to assist in the preservation of sites illustrating the geological and ecological character of the United States, to enhance the educational and scientific value of sites thus preserved, to strengthen cultural appreciation of natural history, and to foster a wider interest and concern in the nation's natural heritage (NPS, 1977).

American Samoa National Park has been authorised as a national park by the US Congress, under the provisions of federal legislation.

There is an American Samoa Parks and Recreation Act (1980), with provision for the establishment of natural preserves, conservation preserves and territorial parks, although none has been established.

International Activities American Samoa is not yet directly party to any of the international conventions or programmes that promote the conservation of natural areas, namely the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention), the Unesco Man and the Biosphere Programme and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention). The United States is an active participant in all three conventions, although it is not known if this involves American Samoa in any way.

The Convention on the Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific (1976) has been neither signed nor ratified by either the United States or American Samoa. Known as the Apia Convention, it entered into force during 1990. The Convention is coordinated by the South Pacific Commission and represents the first attempt within the region to cooperate on environmental matters. Among other measures, it encourages the creation of protected areas to preserve indigenous flora and fauna.

The United States is party to the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the 1986 Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region (SPREP Convention) has been signed (25 November 1986) but not ratified. The Convention entered into force during August 1990. Article 14 calls upon the parties to take all appropriate measures to protect rare or fragile ecosystems and threatened or endangered flora and fauna through the establishment of protected areas and the regulation of activities likely to have an adverse effect on the species, ecosystems and biological processes being protected. However, as this provision only applies to the Convention area, which by definition is open ocean, it is most likely to assist with the establishment of marine reserves and the conservation of marine species.

Administration and Management Administration of protected areas falls into two categories: those that are the responsibility of the territorial government and those that are mandated under federal legislation. The American Samoa Department of Parks and Recreation is principally concerned with development of recreation, and to date most of the areas designated under the Parks and Recreation Act are for recreational purposes. Fagatele Bay is administered and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); it is locally administered by the Economic and Development Planning Office. Rose Atoll is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the American Samoa Department of Marine Resources. American Samoa National Park is the responsibility of the National Park Service. The national natural landmarks are part of a programme within theNational Park Service, although the precise status of each site is not known.

In 1975 an American Samoa Recreation Area Development Plan was issued which provided for recreation facilities and also identified national historic landmarks and national natural landmarks.

Le Vaomatua ("tropical rain forest" in the Samoan language) is an active non-governmental organisation established in 1985 by local residents concerned with protecting forests, reefs and marshes. Recent successful activities have included advocacy for the establishment of American Samoa National Park and cancellation of the dredging and construction of a harbour in Leone Bay.

Systems Reviews American Samoa comprises five volcanic islands and two coral atolls, and is the only United States territory south of the Equator. Principal vegetation types include lowland tropical evergreen rain forest up to 300m altitude and montane forest at 300-700m. Cloud forest is found only on Tau and Olosega at 500-930m and small areas of montane scrub occur on Tutuila. Mangroves, and coastal swamps, largely consisting of sedges and ferns, are found near the coast, but have been drastically reduced in coverage, being felled for housing and other uses. About two-thirds of the native vegetation has been disturbed or cleared for settlements or agriculture and, for example, littoral forest has been almost entirely eliminated from sandy coastal areas. Most of the interior of Tutuila, the main island, is covered by a patchwork of secondary forest mixed with primary or primary-like forest on the steeper, more inaccessible slopes. Most of the remaining primary forest on Tutuila is on the central portion of the north coast (Amerson et al., 1982).

Although much of the forested interior remains inaccessible due to the steep terrain, an increasing proportion of marginal areas is being cleared. Furthermore, an estimated 1% of rain forest cover is lost annually to plantation cover. One of the consequences of this vegetation clearance has been the increase in erosion, flooding and silting of coastal areas.

Coral reefs, which occur extensively throughout the country, are described in UNEP/IUCN (1988). Tutuila and Manu'a both have fringing reefs rarely more than 50-100m in width which are particularly vulnerable to sedimentation and the effect of run-off carrying agricultural fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides, and animal wastes particularly from piggeries.

An Action Strategy for Protected Areas in the South Pacific Region (SPREP, 1985b) has been prepared. The principal goals of the strategy cover conservation education, conservation policy development, establishment of protected areas, effective protected area management and regional and international cooperation. Priority recommendations for American Samoa are as follows: implement recommendations regarding new areas for reservation and taking fish; possible reservation of reef area of Ofa; possible reservation of forest on Mount Lata; and implementation of a management programme at the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In response to both the general and specific recommendations of the Action Plan, fruit bat surveys have been undertaken by the US-Fish and Wildlife Service. A recent feasibility study (NPS and ASG, 1988) identified remaining areas critical for protection, leading to the establishment of American Samoa National Park. Management activities have been initiated in Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Dahl (1980) identifies a number of habitat types that were excluded from the protected areas system prior to the establishment of American Samoa National Park, and provides a list of potential reserves to remedy these omissions. In a 1986 review, Dahl (1986) states that there is an urgent need for protected areas on Tau, Tutuila and Ofu. However, the new national park has included coral reefs, beaches, coastal, lowland, montane and cloud forest and so probably includes most ecosystems in the country.

The Territorial Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 1980-85, and the American Samoa Coastal Management Plan (ASCMP) set out a comprehensive system of parks, forest and nature reserves (SPREP, 1980). The ASCMP, which is funded under the National and Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and operates out of the Economic Development Planning Office, has undertaken some conservation activities. The programme has jurisdiction over all land areas and to the limit of territorial seas. The ASCMP has also initiated a land use permitting system, known as the Project Notification and Review System (PNRS). The PNRS provides for land-use reviews for any planned construction, which include environmental considerations. The ASCMP annually sponsors a three-week coastal awareness programme, highlighting coastal and marine conservation issues.

Addresses

Department of Parks and Recreation, US Department of the Interior, PO Box 3809, Pago Pago 96799

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration, 3300 Whitehaven NW, Washington DC 20235

National Park Service, Pacific Area Office, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Box 50165, Room 6305, Honolulu, HI 96850

References

Amerson, A.B., Whistler, W.A. and Schwaner, T.D. (1982). Wildlife and wildlife habitat of American Samoa: Environment and ecology. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC. 119 pp.

Dahl, A.L. (1980). Regional ecosystem surveys of the South Pacific Area. SPC/IUCN Technical Paper 179. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 99 pp.

Dahl, A.L. (1986). Review of the protected areas system in Oceania. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge UK/UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. 328 pp.

Davis, S.D., Droop, S.J.M., Gregerson, P., Henson, L., Leon, C.J., Lamlein Villa-Lobos, J., Synge, H. and Zantovska, J. (1986). Plants in danger: what do we know? IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. 488 pp.

Eaton, P. (1985). Land Tenure and Conservation: Protected Areas in the South Pacific. Report to the South Pacific Commission.

Fai'ai, P and Daschbach, N. (1989). American Samoa. Country Review 3. Fourth South Pacific Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, Port Vila, Vanuatu, 4-12 September. 10 pp.

Government of American Samoa (1975). American Samoa recreation area development plan: 1975-1980. American Samoa Park and Recreation Board, Pago Pago. 52 pp.

National Park Service and American Samoa Government (1988). National Park feasibility study. Draft 01/88. National Park Service and American Samoa Government. 139 pp.

SPREP (1980). American Samoa. Country Report 1. South Pacific Commission, Noumea.

UNEP/IUCN (1988). Coral reefs of the world. Volume 3. Central and Western Pacific. UNEP Regional Seas Directories and Bibliographies. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland andCambridge, UK/UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. 378 pp.

US Department of Commerce (1984). Final environmental impact statement and management plan for the proposed Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Sanctuary Programme Division of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Commerce, Washington DC.

Weiting, H., Lukowski, S., Buckingham, N., Schamis, M and Humke, J. (1975). Preserving our natural heritage. Volume 1. Federal activities. The Nature Conservancy and US Man and the Biosphere Program. 323 pp.

ANNEX

Definitions of protected area designations, as legislated,

together with authorities responsible for their administration

Title: Parks and Recreation Act

Date: 1980

Brief description: There is created the American Samoa parks system. The department shall inventory all properties belonging to the government and with the Governor's approval determine which properties are included in the park system. The department keeps a list of all areas in the park system according to the classification (see "designations"), with correct and accurate descriptions, and provide the Legislature with a current copy of the list (18.0204).

Administrative authority: Department of Parks and Recreation

Designation:

Natural preserves which are to remain unimproved;

Conservation preserves which may be improved for the purpose of making them accessible to the public in a manner consistent with the preservation of their natural features;

Territorial park or community parks which may be improved for the purpose of providing public recreational facilities in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the natural features;

Territorial recreation facilities or community recreation facilities which may be improved for the purpose of providing public recreation facilities;

Historical and prehistoric objects and sites which are administered in accordance with federal guidelines as set by the Department of the Interior;

Seashore reserves which include underwater land and water areas of the Territory of American Samoa extending from the mean high water line seaward to 10 fathoms is included within the park system and administered by the Director in accordance with 18.0204.

IUCN (1992). Protected Areas of the World: A review of national systems. Volume 1: Indomalaya, Oceania, Australia and Antarctic. Prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xx+352pp.

IUCN (1992). Protected Areas of the World: A review of national systems. Volume 2: Palaearctic. Prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xxviii+556pp.

IUCN (1992). Protected Areas of the World: A review of national systems. Volume 3: Afrotropical. Prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xxii+360pp.

IUCN (1992). Protected Areas of the World: A review of national systems. Volume 4: Nearctic and Neotropical. Prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xxiv+460pp.