Samoa's Aligned National Action Programme to combat land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought 2015 - 2020

SAMOA'S ALIGNED NATIONAL ACTION PROGRAMME TO COMBAT LAND DEGRADATION AND MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT 2015 - 2020 Samoa's Aligned NAP to the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy 2008 - 2018 Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment 2 SAMOA'S NATIONAL PROGRAMME OF ACTION TO COMBAT LAND DEGRADATION AND TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT 2015 - 2020 © Copyright: Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment 2015. 3 Foreword Our land is one of the most important building materials of our economic development and social well-being. "Without land what else is there?" is a very poignant reminder of how important land is to everyone. It is our rightful inheritance from our ancestors. Without land we have nowhere to build, farm and live. The threat of a predicted sea level rise in this century which can inundate large swathes of the low-lying coastal areas of our islands, where about seventy percent (70%) of our population resides, underpins how priceless lands will become if such a near future outlook becomes a reality. But even if this will not happen, the growing pressures of our development activities is causing critical declines in the quality of our land resources such as freshwater, wildlife, ecological services and arable lands for agriculture and food production. Growing populations means more settlements and service infrastructures to occupy and utilize more of our remaining lands and land resources. However land like every other environmental resource is finite, fragile and highly vulnerable to development pressures and the growing impacts of climate change. Without effective planning and responsible management today, we will quickly run out of livable space and sufficient land resources to sustain our country's development. It is crucial therefore to take care of our limited lands and ensure the security of our land resources for the needs of the present and future generations. It is a must to have reasonable and practical national plans to address and mitigate all forms of pressure that are degrading our land resources and to build the resilience of our land based ecosystems against the adverse impacts of climate change and globalization. This National Action Programme to combat Land Degradation and mitigate the Effects of Droughts or the NAP therefore was precisely formulated with the above stated objectives in mind. The NAP was first formulated and implemented from 2006. It was Samoa's overarching conceptual policy framework for the implementation of the land-related Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) thus known the United Nations' Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Land Degradation and, to mitigate the Effects of Drought. The establishment of the first formal plan for the systematic implementation of the UNCCD, the Convention's Ten Year Strategy 2008-2018 (10YS), requires the alignment of the country parties' NAPs or equivalents, to this Convention Strategy. The current NAP therefore updates and align Samoa's NAP 2006 with the 10YS. As such, the current or the new Aligned NAP 2015 has become more focused and targeted to the two strategic objectives of the 10YS; (i) improving the living conditions of populations and (ii) improving the conditions of ecosystems that are highly affected by the causes and effects of land degradation and droughts (LDD). Addressing these issues requires 4 action in five key operational objectives or themes of awareness and advocacy, policy frameworks, science and technology, capacity building and financing. The aligned NAP was formulated through a series of consultations that were held from November of 2014 to July of 2015 with national organizations of the government, civil society and village communities. It thus reflects a public mandate from our people, their institutions and communities to commit to activities that will protect, rehabilitate and improve the productive and ecological potentials of our land resources and consequently improve the conditions of the livelihoods and well-being of our affected communities. It essentially therefore sets out the lines of actions for everyone to participate in and collectively become responsible with the effective management and sustainable use of our land resources. I am very happy therefore to commend this NAP to your thoughtful study and meaningful commitment to the implementation of this Aligned National Action Programme to the UNCCD Ten Year Strategy 2008-2018, in the next five years 2015-2020. With Assurances of our Highest regards, Afioga Fa'amoetauloa Lealaiauloto Dr. Fa'ale Tumaali'i HONORABLE MINISTER Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (MNRE), Scientific Research Organization of Samoa (SROS) & Samoa Trust Estate Corporation (STEC) 5 Samoa's Aligned National Action Programme (NAP) to combat Land Degradation and mitigate the Effects of Droughts 2015-2020 is the over-arching conceptual environmental policy and planning framework for guiding its implementation of and meeting its obligations to the United Nations Convention to combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Land Degradation and to mitigate the Effects of Droughts. The NAP was first developed and formally launched in 2006. In a simplified sense, the NAP addresses the causes and effects of land degradation events such as erosion, flooding, landslide, compaction, contamination and the decline in the quality of ecological services provided by land-based or soil-based ecosystems. The NAP also addresses the effects of droughts in a proactive manner through building the capacities of communities and ecosystems to become more resilience to the effects of droughts. The current NAP has the main mandate as the NAP 2006, but it is more targeted in terms of its strategic and operational focus. It aims to address land degradation and drought issues in the most vulnerable and affected populations and ecosystems of the country, through programs of action in five areas of individual, institutional and systemic operations: awareness, policy framework, science and technology, capacity building and financing. The action programmes of the NAP 2006 have generally been small-scale pilot demonstrations of approaches for the restoration, rehabilitation and building of the resilience of selected land areas and ecosystems that have been degraded and affected and/or are highly vulnerable to the occurrence of land degradation and droughts. The current NAP is a phenomenal step forward from the last NAP of 2006 as it aims at big-time upscale projects nationally with the intention to replicate valuable learning and experiences gained from these demonstrations in more clustered affected communities and ecosystems throughout the country. The current NAP is also aligned to the provisions of the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy 2008 -2018. In that sense it aspires to meet Samoa's contribution to the global targets for the implementation of the UNCCD under the current Ten Year Strategy. The UNCCD together with the UNFCCC and the UNCBD are the three Conventions signed at the First Earth Summit on the Environment and Sustainable Development in 1992 or commonly known as the first UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 (UNCED 1992) that was held in Rio de Jenairo, BRAZIL. The three, since the UNCED 1992, became popularly known as the ‘Rio Conventions’. The national policy frameworks for the other two Conventions are Samoa's National Adaptation Programme of Action to Climate Change or the NAPA and Samoa's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Programme or NBSAP. Thus the NAP, the NAPA and the NBSAP are the foremost environmental policy and planning frameworks for addressing our country's land, climate change and biodiversity issues and priorities. There are also frameworks for waste and pollution, water resources, and other key aspects of the country's environmental work. The NAP therefore complements the programmes under the NAPA for instance which targeted the communities and ecosystems of the country that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate Preface 6 change and programmes under the NBSAP which target key biodiversity areas or indigenous ecosystems and habitats of the highest priority in the country for conservation and sustainable development. While in most cases it will engage the same areas and issues of work under the NAPA, the NBSAP and other environmental policy and planning frameworks, the NAP does contribute in some other unique aspects of environmental action. For instance it deals with the three types of land ownership systems in the country - customary, freehold and state land tenure systems - which govern the decision making processes for the choices and options for the development and management of the country's land resources. It brings into focus the importance of the soil quality and the geological aspects of the country's environment which are yet to achieve a level of appreciation similar or comparable to the high level of priority and mainstreaming that has been achieved in climate change and biodiversity issues. A good understanding of how the various environmental frameworks operate individually and collectively for the conservation, protection, adaptation and sustainable use of Samoa's environment and natural resources is very crucial to the development of a balance and harmonious participation and commitment of our people and communities to these programmes. The Government has established an integrated approach for all environmental policy frameworks to build this understanding and increase a more balance and coordinated implementation of the country's environment programmes. This approach is Samoa National Environmental Sector Plan or NESP which strengthen the linkages; builds the coordination and improve the resourcing of all environmental policy frameworks and relevant sectoral activities. Samoa's NESP is a key component of the country's over-arching development strategy the Strategy for the Development of Samoa 2012-2016. It also contributes to the achievement of the goals of the SIDS 2014's "S.A.M.O.A Pathway", the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and other global and regional frameworks for the environment and sustainable development. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment together with the multi-stakeholder team of the NAP are confident that the current NAP will increase the country's understanding and appreciation of the conditions of its land resources and land use issues, and of the priority targets and actions for addressing these issues in the next five years. These priorities were established during extensive consultation with national stakeholders and local communities throughout the country and thus represent a clear mandate from our people for all of us to act on measures prescribed in the framework to restore, improve and sustain the potentials of our land resources now and into the distant future. In this quest, our Ministry and NAP stakeholders stand ready to support each and everyone who will commit to the implementation of this very important Aligned National Action Programme 2015 - 2020. Sincerely, Suluimalo Amataga Penaia CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment 7 Acknowledgement We acknowledge with sincere appreciation the participation in the consultations and invaluable contributions made by many national stakeholders and local communities to the development of Samoa's Aligned NAP 2015. Your guidance and commitment of time and resources have established a broad understanding of land issues in Samoa and the selection of the highest priorities for the NAP strategic interventions and programmes of action that are in harmony and will complement the work under other sectoral and programmatic policy frameworks of Samoa's Sustainable Development Strategy. Specific mention should be made for the following government ministries, corporations and organizations who have consistently sent representatives and experts to meetings and provided information, advice and reviews of the NAP as it evolved through various national and local community consultations. These organizations include: the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructures (MWTI), Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Samoa Water Authority (SWA), Lands Transport Authority (LTA), Electric Power Corporation (EPC), Ministry of Justice & Courts Administration (MJCA), Samoa Bureau of Statistics (SBS), Samoa Tourism Authority (STA), Samoa Lands Corporation (SLC), Samoa Trust Estate Corporation (STEC), Ministry of Education, Sports & Culture (MESC), National University of Samoa (NUS), University of the South Pacific (USP), Scientific Research Organization of Samoa (SROS), Ministry of Commerce, Industries & Labour (MCIL) and the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (MNRE). Our partnership for the NAP have also strengthened our multi-sectoral partnerships for all of the existing action programmes for the protection, restoration and betterment of the conditions of our land-based natural and environmental resources which underpins the sustainability of our country's development. Special acknowledgements also go to the following civil society and non-governmental organizations: Women in Business Development Incorporation (WIBDI), Samoa Farmers' Association (SFA), Samoa Umbrella for NGOs (SUNGO), Samoa Conservation Society (SCS), O le Siosiomaga Society (OLSSI) and Samoa Chamber of Commerce (SCC). Your invaluable insights and experience from your ongoing relevant practical work with local communities to conserve land resources and improve the productivity of land areas in particular those of rural and vulnerable village communities, constitute an important driving force of positive step forward necessary for the creation of communities that are sensitive to the geological and ecological needs of soils and lands and the development of more sound and sustainable land use practices for our land resources. The GEF-UNEP and the UNCCD Secretariat’s financial support which have provided the main sources of funding for the NAP Alignment process are also noted. Their guidance also have clarified various aspects of the linkages between the Aligned NAP and the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy 2008-2018 that will ensure Samoa will meet its obligations to this Convention in an integrated and synergetic manner with its other sister Rio Conventions; the UNFCCC and the UNCBD. Last but not the least is the coordination and resourcing provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment through its NAP team under the tireless coordination of the Land 8 Management Division (LMD) and the work of the team's facilitating consultant, Mr. Tofilau Tepa Suaesi. Now that the aligned NAP document is completed, it is only the first step to a continuing action process for the achievement of its stated objectives, goals and targets. Therefore it is our hope that your invaluable participation in the implementation of the NAP in the next five years will continue to increase, for without our collective commitment to this work, it is impossible to achieve its ends and thus reach its aim of contributing effectively to the advancement of our country's sustainable development pathway. Fa'afetai tele lava Suluimalo Amataga Penaia CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment 9 Table of Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Samoa's Aligned National Action Programme (NAP) to combat Land Degradation and mitigate the Effects of Droughts 2015-2020 is the over-arching conceptual environmental policy and planning framework for guiding its implementation of and meeting its obligations to the United Nations Convention to combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Land Degradation and to mitigate the Effects of Droughts. The NAP was first developed and formally launched in 2006. In a simplified sense, the NAP addresses the causes and effects of land degradation events such as erosion, flooding, landslide, compaction, contamination and the decline in the quality of ecological services provided by land-based or soil-based ecosystems. The NAP also addresses the effects of droughts in a proactive manner through building the capacities of communities and ecosystems to become more resilience to the effects of droughts. ...................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................................. 7 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 9 List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... 11 List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ 12 List of Acronyms .................................................................................................................................... 14 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 16 A The Environment and Social Setting .............................................................................................. 16 B. The UNCCD's Ten Year Strategic Plan and Framework of Action 2008-2018 ............................... 18 C. Samoa’s National Action Programme (NAP) 2006 ........................................................................ 19 D. The NAP Review and Alignment Process .................................................................................. 20 i) Guiding Principles for the NAP ................................................................................................... 20 ii) The Aligned NAP Framework& Process .................................................................................... 21 iii) The Conceptual Framework of the NAP Process and Links to State and Trends of Land Resources, the Social Development Evolution and the Future Outlooks of Land Resources & Land Use in Samoa ........................................................................................................................ 21 iv) National & Local Community NAP Consultations .................................................................... 24 v) NAP Sections ............................................................................................................................. 25 SECTION ONE: STATE AND TRENDS OF LANDS AND LAND USE ISSUES IN SAMOA .............................. 27 A. Drivers of Land Degradation Issues .............................................................................................. 27 1. Economic & Social Drivers ......................................................................................................... 28 2. Environmental Drivers .............................................................................................................. 30 B. Pressures on Land Resources ........................................................................................................ 31 C. State of Land Resources ................................................................................................................ 32 10 1. The Priority Affected Population & Communities .................................................................... 33 2. The Priority Affected Landscapes and Ecosystems ................................................................... 34 D. Impacts of the State of Land Resources ....................................................................................... 36 E. Response to Land Degradation Issues .......................................................................................... 36 SECTION TWO: THE VISION, STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, MISSION & OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF THE NAP ....................................................................................................................................................... 42 A. The Vision ..................................................................................................................................... 42 B. Strategic Objectives, Targets and Expected Impacts .................................................................... 42 The Mission ....................................................................................................................................... 46 B. Operational Objective, Goals, Targets and Expected Outcomes .................................................. 47 Operational Objective 1 (OP1) - Awareness and Education: To effectively influence development planning processes and stakeholders to adequately address land degradation and drought related issues: ................................................................................................................................................ 47 Operational Objective 2 (OP2) - Policy Frameworks: To strengthen the creation of enabling environments that promotes solutions to combat land degradation and mitigate the effects of droughts. ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Operational Objective 3 (OP3) - Science and Technology: To become the competent authority on scientific, technical and traditional knowledge of LDD issues and SLM technologies and practices ........................................................................................................................................ 49 Operational Objective 4 (OP4) - Capacity Building: To identify and address capacity needs of national stakeholders and affected populations for addressing LDD issues. ............................... 50 Operational Objective 5 (OP5) - Financing and Technology Transfer: To identify and address the capacity needs of national stakeholders and affected populations for addressing LDD issues ... 52 SECTION THREE: SECTORS' PRIORITY PROGRAMMES OF ACTION ....................................................... 53 A. Communities Priority Sustainable Land Management Projects ................................................... 53 B. NAP Sectors' Relevant Programmes and Projects ........................................................................ 57 SECTION FOUR: NAP IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING STRUCTURE ............................................... 59 A. District Cluster Action Programmes & National NAP Coordination ............................................. 59 B. Monitoring & Reporting ................................................................................................................ 59 APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................................... 67 Appendix 1: The UNCCD Ten Year Strategy ...................................................................................... 67 Appendix 2: Guiding Questions for Community Consultation .......................................................... 73 Appendix 3: Report of National & Community Consultation ........................................................... 74 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 77 11 List of Tables Table 1: Samoa's Key Land Management Legislation - Title, Purpose & Administrating Government Body. ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 Table 2: Some of the key sectors' programmes with relevant provisions and or activities for the implementation of the aligned NAP. .................................................................................................... 57 Table 3: Alignment of Samoa's NAP objectives, goals and targets and the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy Objectives, Targets and Indicators. ....................................................................................................... 61 12 List of Figures Figure 1: Conceptual framework of the NAP process and links to the States and Trends of Land Resources and the Future Outlooks of Land Resources and Landuse in Samoa. Source MNRE 2015. ................................................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 2: A session of national stakeholder consultations in sectors during one of the national NAP aligned workshop. Source: MNRE 2015. ..................................................................................... 24 Figure 3: Photos of the community consultation of the Aleipata district cluster, November 2014. Source: MNRE 2014. ................................................................................................................. 25 Figure 4: A consultation of the group of young people of Fagaloa district. Source: MNRE 2014. ..... 26 Figure 5: Key drivers of land degradation identified in community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. ................................................................................................................................................... 27 Figure 6: Key land degradation activities and events identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015 ............................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 7: Key stakeholders of land degradation activities identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................... 29 Figure 8: An example of lands of Fagamalo village inlands that have covered by the invasive meremia vine species, the large green leaf vine in the foreground. Source MNRE, 2015. ................ 30 Figure 9: An example of a plantation (taro and other root crops) cultivated with the use of agrochemicals as seen in the brown weeds sprayed with weedicides in the foreground of the photo from the agricultural lands of Gataivai village, Savai'i. Source: MNRE 2015. .......................... 31 Figure 10: Priority population affected by land degradation issues identified in community consultation. Source MNRE. ............................................................................................................... 32 Figure 11: Priority affected ecosystems identified in community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. ................................................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 12: Priority affected land areas identified in community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. ................................................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 13: Example of the impact of a land degradation activity - landslide on a road without stabilization of the steep slopes it is located. Source: MNRE ............................................................. 35 Figure 14: Samoa's Net Migration Rate (migration(s)/1,000 population. Source: CIA Worldfact ..... 36 Figure 15: An example of a large scale rock and aggregate mining operation in Samoa Sale'imoa, Upolu Island. Source: MNRE 2015. .................................................................................... 36 Figure 16: Example of an extensive seawall project - Vaiala Upolu Island. Source: MNRE. ............... 37 Figure 17: An example of a large scale farming system in Samoa - the Westerlund Farm at Falelauniu, Upolu Island, which supply its Farmer Joe Supermarkets and some overseas export. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................... 38 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190234 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190234 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190234 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190235 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190235 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190236 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190236 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190237 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190238 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190238 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190239 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190239 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190240 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190240 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190241 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190241 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190242 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190242 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190242 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190243 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190243 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190244 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190244 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190245 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190245 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190246 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190246 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190247 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190248 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190248 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190249 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190250 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190250 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190250 13 Figure 18: Another of the major rock and aggregate mining and quarry site Tuiolemu Lalomanu, at southeast of Upolu Island. Source: MNRE 2015. .......................................................... 39 Figure 19: An example of the trend in rock and aggregate mining and quarry site being used also as a waste dumpsite. Source: MNRE 2015. ................................................................................. 40 Figure 20: LDD awareness and education priorities identified in the community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................... 45 Figure 21: LDD policy framework ppriorities identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................................ 47 Figure 22: Science and technology priorities identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................................ 48 Figure 23: Capacity building priorities for LDD issues identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................... 49 Figure 24: Priority sites (ecosystems) for LDD & SLM projects identified in the community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. .................................................................................................... 50 Figure 25: Priority LDD & SLM project issues identified in the community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. ........................................................................................................................................ 51 Figure 26: Priority LDD & SLM programme and project participants identified in the community consultation. Source MNRE 2015. ...................................................................................................... 52 Figure 27: Priority beneficiaries of LDD & SLM projects identified in the community consultation. Source MNRE 2015. ...................................................................................................... 53 Figure 28: LDD & SLM project management capacity building priorities identified in community consultation. Source MNRE 2015. ...................................................................................................... 54 Figure 29: Priority local community support for LDD & SLM projects identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE ............................................................................................................... 55 Figure 30: Priority government and national stakeholder support for LDD & SLM projects identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. .............................................................. 56 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190251 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190251 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190252 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190252 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190253 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190253 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190254 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190254 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190255 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190255 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190256 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190256 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190257 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190257 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190258 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190258 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190259 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190259 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190260 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190260 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190261 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190261 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190262 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190262 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190263 file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/4.NAP/final.doc/Samoa.NAP.Final 16.September.2015.docx%23 Toc430190263 14 List of Acronyms CLAC Customary Land Advisory Commission CSO Civil Society Organizations GOS Government Organizations LTA Land Transport Authority MAF Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries METI Matua i le Oo Environment Trust MNRE Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment MOH Ministry of Health MWCSD Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development MWTI Ministry of Public Works, Transport & Infrastructures NAPA National Adaptation Program of Action NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan NESP National Environment Sector Plan OLSSI O le Si'oisi'omaga Society SAA Samoa Airport Authority SACEP Samoa Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Project SAME Samoa's Association of Manufacturers and Private Enterprises SCS Samoa Conservation Society Inc. SIAM Sustainable Infrastructure Assets Management Project SLC Samoa Land Corporation S.A.M.O.A Pathway SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway STA Samoa Tourism Authority STEC Samoa Trust Estate Corporation STI Science & Technology Institutions SUNGO Samoa Umbrella of Non-Governmental Organizations 15 SWA Samoa Water Authority UNCBD United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Land Degradation and to Mitigate the Effects of Droughts UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change WaSSP Water Sector Support Programme WIBDI Women in Business Development Inc. WSSPSP Water and Sanitation Sector Policy Support Project 16 INTRODUCTION A The Environment and Social Setting 1. Samoa is composed of two large volcanic islands - Savai'i and Upolu- and eight smaller islands Manono, Apolima, Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Fanuatapu, Namu'a, Nu'ulopa and Nu'usafe'e - a total land area of 2.831 km21. Being small islands in the vast Pacific ocean means being environmentally susceptible to severe impacts of climate, weather and geological phenomena and being largely remote from centers of economic development in the world means high economic development costs and extreme vulnerability to the impacts of global economic change; and being highly limited in means of natural resources means high susceptibility to the severe impacts of the development pressures of its own growing population. The sustainable use and management of its fragile and limited land resources therefore is one of the country's most critical environmental and development priority2. 2. Land is at the heart of Samoa’s culture and social wellbeing. All of its lands have traditional names and customary interpretations. Matai titles are related to and are only meaningful in their associations with the respective lands of their origins. Samoans hold these relationships as ancient social establishments that were developed by their ancestors’ in the past before contacts with the West – associations that are considered sacred and critical to the maintenance and continuation of the material and social aspects of Samoa’s way of life called the fa’a-Samoa. In this context all lands in Samoa were originally therefore customary owned by its indigenous peoples until the adoption of modern philosophies and culture which have changed the conception and practice of the relationship between lands and the society and gave way to the establishment of three types of land relationships or land tenure systems in the country that are sanctioned under the country's Constitution, namely the customary, public and privately owned land tenure systems. Customary lands are owned and managed by extended families under the stewardships of their family chiefs or matai. These constitute about eighty one percent 81%3 of the country's land areas. The remaining 20% constitute of 15% public or state lands and 4% of privately owned lands. 3. The land tenure systems together with the current regimes of related national and international environmental and development policies and practices form the basis of the development and management of land resources in the country. The over arching international policy framework for land issues in the world is the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Land Degradations and to Mitigate the Effects of Droughts commonly referred to as the UNCCD. In addition to the land provisions of Samoa's Constitution the country's key land legislations includes those listed in Table 1 below: 17 Table 1: Samoa's Key Land Management Legislation - Title, Purpose & Administrating Government Body. LAND LEGISLATION TITLE & YEAR PURPOSE ADMINISTRATING GOVERNMENT BODY Taking of Land Act 1964 Provides for the compulsory taking by government of customary land and freehold land for public purposes in return for a fair and just compensation4 Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) The Alienation of Customary Land Act 1965 Specific Act for the government to "lease or license customary land for an authorized purpose such as a public purpose, agricultural, forestry, forest produce, hotel, industrial, commercial or business purpose; as trustee for the beneficial owners."5 Ministry of Natural Resources& Environment (MNRE) The Lands & Titles Act 1981 Establishes the Lands and Titles Court with exclusive jurisdiction to deal with all matters pertaining to Samoan Titles and Samoan Customary Lands. Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration (MJCA) The Village Fono Act 1984 Empowers the traditional village councils to among other things "'make rules governing the use of village lands for the economic betterment of the village…" Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD) Lands, Survey & Environment Act 1989 The Act that enacted the establishment of the Division of Environment and Conservation (DEC) with the key mandate to facilitate and sustainably manage national programmes for the protection and conservation of Samoa’s natural resources and environment. It also enacted the Land Board with the mandate to administer and develop government lands for commercial and residential purposes through the leasing mechanism only. This legislation has, since, been the Principal Act of MNRE to date but is now under current Amendment. Initially (1989) the Department of Lands, Survey & Environment (DLSE) then later (2000) the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (MNRE) Planning and Urban Management Act 2004 This is the Act that established the Planning and Urban Management Agency (PUMA) and to implement a framework for planning the use, Ministry of Natural Resources &Environment (MNRE) 18 development, management and protection of land in Samoa in the present and long-term interests of all Samoans and for related purposes. Land Titles Registration Act 2008 This the Act that provides for: (a) the establishment and maintenance of a Register of title to land; (b) the establishment of ownership of interests in land by registration; (c) the recording in the Register of information in respect of transactions with land; (d) access to information recorded in the Register; and (e) matters incidental to the above. Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (MNRE) Customary Land Advisory Commission Act 2013 This the Act that enacted the Customary Land Advisory Commission to encourage, facilitate and promote greater economic use of customary lands for the purpose of enhancing the social, cultural, economic and commercial development of Samoa and for related purposes. Customary Land Advisory Commissioner (CLAC) B. The UNCCD's Ten Year Strategic Plan and Framework of Action 2008-2018 4. The international community recognized the degradation of the world’s landscapes through desertification, degradation and droughts as one of three core environmental issue of our times in addition to biodiversity loss and climate change that it adopted a UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Land Degradation and Droughts (UNCCD) in addition to the UNCBD and the UNFCCC for the conservation of biodiversity and combating climate change respectively in 1992. The Convention was formally signed in 1994 and Samoa became a party of it in 1998. 5. The adoption by the 8th Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD of a Ten Year Strategic Plan or 10YSthat guides the implementation of the Convention in the ten year period of 2008-2018 requires parties to align their National Action Programmes (NAPs) or their equivalents with the provisions of this Ten Year Strategic Plan. All alignment processes were to be completed by the end of last year 2014. The 10 Year Strategy is focused on four strategic objectives which define the expected impacts of the Convention and five operational objectives which guides its programmes of implementation that are summarized in Box 1. 19 Box 1: UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy Strategic & Operational Objectives Four Strategic Objectives: 1. To improve the living conditions of affected populations 2. To improve the condition of affected ecosystems 3. To generate global benefits 4. To mobilize resources for the implementation of the Convention Five Operational Objectives: 1. Advocacy, awareness raising and education 2.Policy framework 3.Science, technology and knowledge 4.Capacity-building 5.Financing and technology transfer 6. Samoa’s NAP was endorsed in 2006 and its alignment process was started in November 2014 with national and local community consultations for an updated and aligned NAP that was launched before the UNCCD's 13 Convention in October 2015. This new NAP is titled Samoa’s National Action Programme to Combat Land Degradation and Droughts 2015-2020. The aligned document includes a review of baselines on land degradation and drought issues in Samoa which updates the information in the 2006 NAP; the strategic objectives for priority land degraded and drought prone affected populations and critical landscapes in the country; operational objectives for priority action programmes of the government and people to achieve the strategic objectives in the next five years and a suite of priority implementation programmes for 2015 to 2020.It outlines an implementation structure for resourcing and coordinating implementation. C. Samoa’s National Action Programme (NAP) 2006 7. Samoa’s NAP approved in 2006 followed the structure and provisions of the UNCCD document. Emphasis was on the objective to promote the awareness and establish sustainable land management practices in state sectoral policies and local community development programmes. Several national projects were implemented under the 2006 NAP in cooperation with the relevant projects under the other national environmental policy frameworks such as the NAPA and the NBSAP. These activities contribute largely to the creation of an enabling environment for mainstreaming and addressing LDD issues collectively. 8. The highlights of the achievements from the 2006 NAP projects include the following: 1) the rehabilitation and transformation of an abandoned rock and aggregate mining or quarry site at the Vaitele urban area from a huge unusable hole into a reserve area that has been replanted with a vegetative cover of indigenous tree species with a proper access road to a space for relaxation and enjoyment of nature6; 2) the restoration of an important mangrove wetland at the village of Lano in Savai'i which included the opening up of the channel from the sea to the mangroves which allowed an efficient inter-change of environmental flows between the sea water and freshwater springs that re-established the required conditions for the mangroves and the feeding grounds for marine an freshwater fish and shell fish7; 3) the restoration of a section of the Vaipoluli catchment area at the village of Avao in Savai'i8; 4) the construction and establishment of a Rural Farmer's Training and Learning Centre at the village of Asau in Savai'i, where farmers will share their learning and experience and learn new 20 skills and capacities through trainings offered by national agencies on sustainable land management practices9 and; 5) the formulation from the collective experience and learning from these and other environmental programs and projects of Samoa's first GEF umbrella and multi-sectoral project for sustainable management of critical landscapes called Samoa's Multi-sectoral Sustainable Management of Critical Landscapes10. D. The NAP Review and Alignment Process 9. The alignment of the NAP follows the same consultative process of its formulation in 2005-2006. Consultations were held from November to December of 2014 with government ministries and local communities to review the current state and trends of land degradation and drought in the country and the status of action the country undertook to address them in the last eight years under the framework of the 2006 NAP. A key element of these consultations is the question of priority affected areas and populations and priority action programmes for addressing LDD issues in the next five years. A literature review was also carried out to determine the extent to which the provisions of the 2006 NAP were considered in land use national policies and community activities especially in terms of the core objective of the NAP the consideration and implementation of sustainable land management practices in development policies and activities of the national government and local communities. i) Guiding Principles for the NAP 10. The formulation and implementation of the NAP is guided by the principles listed below that were gleaned from the 2006 NAP and other national environmental frameworks:  Respect for the rights and privileges of all landowners in Samoa that are enshrined in the country's Constitution  Use of best available and accessible social and scientific information on the state of land resources and land use issues  Considerations for the value of traditional land use knowledge and practices of indigenous communities  Obligations to the UNCCD and solidarity with all international policies for addressing land issues in the context of sustainable development such as the the Principles of the Agenda 21, the MEAs and the UN MDGs  Considerations for the interdependence of the conditions of land resources and development issues  Complimentarily and synergies of land and related international and national environment and development policies 21 ii) The Aligned NAP Framework& Process 11. The framework that was used for this review and alignment process is the UNCCD’s Ten Year Strategic Plan 2008 – 2018 framework which consists of three main parts: The first part are the strategic objectives for addressing the drivers of land degradation and droughts in priority affected populations and ecosystems. The second part action programmes in five operational areas of work for achieving the strategic objectives. The third part is the implementation and monitoring structure. The NAP alignment is a consultative process supported by the best available and accessible scientific and social information at the time of its implementation. Much of the basis for this current NAP alignment was formulated from the analysis of the country's perspectives that were gathered during consultation with the representatives of local communities and national stakeholders. These perspectives are based on the population's individual and collective reading of the social, environmental, economical and political realities of land resources and land development in the country, based on their current experience and learning. This is very important as the population's understanding of the issues will largely shape the way they will perceive and appreciate the NAP and will also determine the degree of their participation in its implementation. 12. The aligned NAP is set for five years which will encompass the remaining four years of the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategic Plan 2015-2018, with additional years for its review and evaluation in tandem with the next planning process of the Convention, beyond the year 2018. The implementation of the aligned NAP will follow the structure of local community consultations that were held in 13 divisions or clusters of the country’s traditional and urban village and district communities. District Cluster Divisions 1 to 12 clusters follow the traditional divisions of the country which is also the basis of the division of Parliamentary Constituencies. Cluster Division 13 covers the urban areas of the capital Apia. The implementation structure and process are described in more detail in Section 4. iii) The Conceptual Framework of the NAP Process and Links to State and Trends of Land Resources, the Social Development Evolution and the Future Outlooks of Land Resources & Land Use in Samoa 13. The conceptual framework in Figure 1 demonstrate the relationship between the NAP process and the naturally and socially occurring environmental and societal change process which affects the state and trends of the country's land resources. The NAP process is colored green at the top of the conceptual framework and the naturally and socially occurring environmental and societal change process is colored blue at the bottom of the conceptual framework. The state and trends of land resources which is analyzed as the drivers, pressure, state, and impact conditions of lands is at the middle of the conceptual framework and colored grey. 14. The NAP process together with other complementary policy frameworks is a planned and controlled process with definite starting, during and ending points, with its outlook or outcomes defined in its vision and mission and its strategic and operational objectives. The naturally and socially occurring environmental and societal change process is unplanned and cannot be controlled, but exerts an over-arching influence on all aspects of the state and trends of land 22 resources: such as changing the nature of the drivers and inducing increases or reductions on the pressures, state and impacts trends of land resources. 15. The NAP's responses to the state and trends or the conditions of land resources and land use practices will aim to induce changes to the state and trends of land resources, to achieve a future outlook which while it will have both positive and adverse future outlooks, the positive will outweigh the adverse and thus contributing to the realization of a more sustainable development of land resources. A more integrated and sustainable outlook therefore is shown in the last middle grey box. The NAP process and the naturally and socially occurring environmental and societal change process will both contribute to and merge into a realization of this far future outlook. Figure 1: Conceptual framework of the NAP process and links to the States and Trends of Land Resources and the Future Outlooks of Land Resources and Landuse in Samoa. Source MNRE 2015. iv) National & Local Community NAP Consultations 16. The first phase of the community consultations (such as shown in Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4) focuses on setting the priority issues for the aligned NAP. These included the review of the existing NAP and gathering the views and perspectives of national and local stakeholders on what they currently held as the relevant land issues that should be prioritize in the aligned NAP. This phase of consultation includes two workshops for national stakeholders and a round of local community representatives meetings throughout Upolu and Savaii that were held for the following 13 district clusters of local village communities - eight in Upolu and five in Savaii - from November to December of 2014:  Upolu Island (including Manobo & Apo lima): i. Aiga i le Tai & Falelatai (Apolima), ii. Aleipata (Satitoa), iii. Fagaloa (Lona), iv. Falealili (Poutasi), v. Safata (Sataoa), vi. Lefaga & Salamumu (Mataututai), vii. Aleisa & Aanaalofi (National Convention Center) and viii. Urban Apia (National Convention Center);  Savai’i Island i. Itu-o-Tane (Faletagaloa), ii. Itu-Asau (Vaisala), iii. Itu-Salega (Samata-tai), iv. Satupa’itea & Palauli (Pitonuū) and v. Fa’asaleleaga (Salelologa) 17. Appendix 2 provides the list of guiding questions that were provided to facilitate and generate the content of the community stakeholder consultations in particular the meetings with representatives of local communities. Three sets of questions were made which relate to the two main parts of the NAP framework – the strategic priorities and operational priorities. The third set of questions is on priority projects for the NAP implementation and the fourth set was intended to gather baselines on SLM measures and practices that are already in place in the villages. The third set of questions was also intended to update the information on priority projects for the implementation of the GEF-funded Samoa's project on Strengthening Figure 2: A session of national stakeholder consultations in sectors during one of the national NAP aligned workshop. Source: MNRE 2015. 25 Multi-sectoral Management of Critical Landscapes (SMSMCL) as part of the preparation of its Inception Report. v) NAP Sections 18. The results of the consultations were compiled, analyzed and reported as provided in Appendix 1 of this document. Relevant analysis of these results were produced as important contributing perspectives and information which form the basis of the following four sections of the NAP: Section One: State and Trends of Lands in Samoa: This section provides updates on the drivers, pressures, impacts and response to impacts of lands and land use issues in Samoa. The focus of the sections is the both on the extent and impacts of persistent and emerging land degradation and drought issues in the country. The section clarifies the affected populations and landscapes in the country and as well as land use practices that should be the priorities for the aligned NAP or the priorities land issues for the country in the next five years of the NAP 2015-2020. Section Two: Strategic& Operational Priorities: Section 2 is the first main action part of the NAP. It sets out the goals and targets of the NAP, which contribute to and are aligned with the UNCCD's global targets under its Ten Year Strategy 2008-2018. These goals and targets are the milestones for the strategic and operational objectives of the NAP. Figure 3: Photos of the community consultation of the Aleipata district cluster, November 2014. Source: MNRE 2014. 26 Section Three: Priority Sectoral Programmes of Action: Section 3 defines the targets and priority programmes of actions of the relevant national sustainable development sectors for implementing the NAP. Four main sectors are organized for the implementation of the NAP which includes agriculture, public infrastructures (public works, transportation, water, energy, communications and ports), industries (tourism & commerce) and social services (education, health, community& environment).Sub-sectors of each sector can also be expanded into sub sector units. For example the transportation sub-sector would include roads, drainage and vehicle registration and the community sub-sector could include villages, women, youth and NGOs. Section Four: Implementation Structure & Process: The last section outlines the structure and process for coordinating, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the NAP in the context of the country's sustainable development strategy structure and the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy. MNRE CEO Figure 4: A consultation of the group of young people of Fagaloa district. Source: MNRE 2014. 27 SECTION ONE: STATE AND TRENDS OF LANDS AND LAND USE ISSUES IN SAMOA 19. This section updates the information on the conditions of and changes in land resources in Samoa's 2006 NAP. Discussion of the states and trends are based mainly on the results of the community consultations held in November to December of 2014 and relevant information gleaned from recent assessments of the state of the country's environmental resources. Among these assessment are: Samoa's Environment Outlook 2012, the State of the Environment Report 2013 ofr Samoa; the 2012 Pacific Environment and Climate Change Outlook report; the review and alignment of Samoa NBSAP 2014. The discussion in this section are organized on the drivers, pressures, state, impacts and response aspects of land degradation and drought issues in the country, including the identification of populations and ecosystems or land areas that are highly affected by issues of land degradation and droughts that will be prioritize in the NAP. A. Drivers of Land Degradation Issues 20. Land Degradation and Drought (LDD) are recognized as part of Samoa’s key environmental issues. Land degradation comes in the form of lands prone to and or have been affected by erosion, landslides, flooding and droughts. It includes land areas that have experienced the loss of soil fertility, loss of biodiversity, salinity and impacts of invasive animal and plant species. Additional issues have emerged from the community consultations. 21. Figure 5 shows the analysis of the communities' response to questions on the drivers of land degradation and drought issues in the country. The major economic drivers that were identified by the communities include agriculture which is considered here as the highest driver; unsustainable development and consumption patterns with related social issues such as poverty; the influence of the village development decisions and the effects of climate change are also considered the next highest drivers of land degradation. 22. Other key drivers include the limited capacities of village governance; the level of community awareness of LDD issues; government policies and programs for economic development such as the expansion of tourism; the relocation of human settlements from the Figure 5: Key drivers of land degradation identified in community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. 28 low-lying and vulnerable coastal areas to higher inland areas; the effects of the growing population pressures; the changes in natural processes such as climate change; the weak and fragmented coordination of national programmes; the effects of household and or community livelihood activities and the spread of unregulated developments. 1. Economic & Social Drivers 23. Key current economic and social drivers of land degradation issues are briefly outlined below which include agriculture, expanding public works & infrastructures, expanding industries and social services and environmental factors. Logging and Agriculture (Subsistence and Commercial Farming) 24. Extensive logging in the latter half of the last century and current national policies to expand agriculture both subsistence and commercial are the main drivers of the vegetation and forest clearance; this also include the excessive use of cultivated land areas and the extension of cultivation to catchments and vulnerable steep slopes and upland areas. While the Planning and Urban Management Act 2004 (PUMA 2004) requires all major developments to be subjected to the EIA process and the granting of development consents, agricultural developments have not been really subjected to the EIA process and other relevant sustainable management measures to any significant level. This may need to change in response to the emerging trend in the commercialization of farming and agriculture over subsistence farming, with subsistence agriculture changing from inland cultivation to planting and farming close and around peoples’ homes in the form of permaculture practices on low-lying coastal areas; and commercial farming taking up more land areas and geared towards large scale production of crops and packaged produce to supply local supermarkets and overseas markets such as in Figure 17. Expanding Public Works & Infrastructures 25. Growing populations together with the associated growth of commerce, industries and public social services to meet their needs in particular the populations and developments in the expanding urban areas of Apia and the coastal development corridor from Apia to the Faleolo International Airport have driven the expansion and upscaling of public works and infrastructures. More and larger roads have started from the end Figure 6: Key land degradation activities and events identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015 29 of the last century to the beginning of this century, more supermarkets and larger sports and recreational facilities are being developed from the beginning of this century such as the Tuana'imato Sports Complex which hosted the 2007 South Pacific Games, the 2014 UN SIDS meeting and this year's 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games. 26. Larger buildings and facilities such as the government high rises in Apia and larger-scale utilities in power, water, waste and waste water management and communication are being developed such as the Fiaga Power Station, the currently constructed solar farms at the Faleolo International Airport and the new waste water treatment plant at Sogi. All of these facilities required land space and the extraction of land resources in terms of rocks, aggregate, sand, water and others for their construction and operation. Expanding Industries & Social Services 27. Infrastructures for industries and social services are expanding. Tourism in terms of hotels and the associated tourist services are expanding into larger scale of accommodation and activity. Examples of these include the Sheraton-Aggies hotel at Faleolo and Apia and the Taumeasina Development Corporation Limited (Lamana Hotel) in Apia. Material production and consumption in terms of food, fabric and other items have also started to be established in larger volumes and scale than in the past such as the Yazaki Samoa Company, the Samoa Beverage Company and several water bottling companies. Local & National Land Tenure Systems 28. Land tenure and the governing systems for land resources especially the customary land ownership system has a lot to do with the current state of land degradation issues, especially in the rural areas. There's been very little control of the village councils on the use and management of their people's land resources or on the enforcement of those national regulations which affect the sustainable use of land resources under customary ownership, which these local authorities can exert a lot of influence. 29. Recently enacted legislations such as the 2008 Customary Land Titles Registration Act and the 2013 Customary Land Advisory Commission Act (and the Investment Citizenship Bill) have huge potentials to significantly transform the scope and extend of the utilization of Figure 7: Key stakeholders of land degradation activities identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. 30 about 81% of the country's land resources under the customary land tenure system in the coming decades of this century. 30. While the government has taken measures to implement these above mentioned 2008 and 2013 legislations to facilitate the effective use of customary lands for development purposes, there is still some important future implications raised by members and groups in the country regarding the impacts of these instruments on the ownership of lands in the country and consequently on the culture and way of life of Samoa as we know and live by it today, and as well as the sustainability of these resources that are yet to be fully appraised and considered in these important land utilization legislations. 2. Environmental Drivers 31. Environment drivers of land degradation include the effects of the decline in the quality of land based ecosystems and ecological services and the impacts of climate change. Decline in the Quality of Ecological Services 32. The total effect of the declined in the quality of ecological services as the direct consequence of the clearance of native forests; the cultivation and settlement of catchment and areas that are highly vulnerable to flooding, erosion and or landslides and the spread of invasive species of plants in another major driver of land degradation and conditions which exacerbate the effects of drought. For instance the meremia vine have been noticeable spread in many areas of previously logged areas and abandoned agricultural lands such as in Figure 9. Climate Change 33. Climate Change is arguably the most dramatic and critical environmental driver of land degradation and droughts. The impacts of cyclone Evans in 2012 have again recalled but in the worst catchment flooding the impacts and experiences of the major cyclones within the current three decades11 (1990 to date). This year we are seeing the effects of a prolong drought which has the potential for forest fires, critical water shortage and severe drop in food crop production, in particular on the highly drought prone south east coasts of Upolu and northeast coasts of Savai'i. Figure 8: An example of lands of Fagamalo village inlands that have covered by the invasive meremia vine species, the large green leaf vine in the foreground. Source MNRE, 2015. 31 B. Pressures on Land Resources 34. Pressures of development and population on land resources range from the demands for space to build buildings, public infrastructures and establish equipments, to the alteration of land resources. Examples of these pressures include the clearance and cultivation of lands for agriculture; the extraction of forest resources for forest products; the use of catchments for water supply and hydro powers; the taking and alternation or landscaping of areas to build roads, infrastructures and lines of public utilities (water, electricity & phone); the alteration of lands mined for sand, rock and aggregate for construction; the contamination of agricultural lands long exposed to agro-chemical use (Figure 9); and the effects of severe natural events such as erosion, flooding and landslide on land areas that are vulnerable to these phenomena. 35. Figure 6 shows the analysis of the local communities’ responses to the questions on land degradation activities. The analysis has identified deforestation in its various forms as the main land degradation activity. Next to it is the use of agrochemicals that has been raised as one of the most critical land degrading activity for priority consideration. Free ranging or roaming livestock and the mining of rock and aggregate or quarries were raised as emerging key threats to land resources that require due and urgent attention. Next to quarries are sand mining and the spread of invasive species, the former as a critical cause of coastline erosion and the latter as impacting on deforested and cultivated lands. The data at MNRE of sand mining, reclamation and quarry activities were accessed but have not been organized into a systematic manner to enable good time series analysis. However a cursory review of the records for the last two decades demonstrated a steady increase in the quantity of the material that were mined annually for commercial, public and private works, with a rapid increase in the establishment of major quarries on customary lands in rural areas close to Apia within this period. 36. The State of the Environment of Samoa 2013 has indicated the removal of most of the lowland native forests of the country through agriculture cultivation and logging with the remainder on the upland central forested areas of Savai'i12. The threats of commercial logging of the remaining native forests may have been contained with the government's commercial logging ban earlier this decade but the continuing licensing of band saw operations could Figure 9: An example of a plantation (taro and other root crops) cultivated with the use of agrochemicals as seen in the brown weeds sprayed with weedicides in the foreground of the photo from the agricultural lands of Gataivai village, Savai'i. Source: MNRE 2015. 32 undermine this ban. Invasive species have been and still are continuing with persistent cases such as the meremia vine and newly introduced species such as the myna birds and the ivy gourd. 37. Regarding the question on parties that are highly responsible for land degradation activities the communities have provided some interesting responses as shown in Figure 7. The impact of the population in general and the decisions of village councils are raised as the entities that are highly responsible for land degradation activities. Next to these two are the effects of the national government's public works and infrastructural projects. The activities of village residents, land owners and the business community are third in rank of responsibility. The impacts of the farming community and environmental or natural processes are fourth in effect and the rest include the pressures from the activities of extended families, churches, major global emitters of GHGs in terms of the effects on climate change, and the impact of the development advice of external experts. The identification of parties of land degradation activities was not intended to find those to blame for the issues, but rather to establish some initial baseline for engaging the potential stakeholders of the issues in the exploration of their influence and impacts on the state and trends of the country's land resources and for working together with them to develop measures they can carry out to address the issues that they are highly responsible with in terms of their causes and effects individually and collectively. C. State of Land Resources 38. Samoa's Environment Outlook 2012 and the State of the Environment 2013 report have assessed the quality and conditions of the country's terrestrial or land based ecosystems as progressing from critical levels of degradation and vulnerability in the coastline and lowland areas to a better and hopeful outlook in the upland and ridge or cloud forests of both of its two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i13. 39. Concerns were particularly raised in these assessments with the decline in the quality of the ecosystems affected in the low lying coastal areas and the developed lowlands that are progressing towards the mid slope and upland ecosystems, which need urgent attention and action now, especially for the preservation of the remaining unique upland and cloud forest Figure 10: Priority population affected by land degradation issues identified in community consultation. Source MNRE. 33 ecosystems14. This trend is progressing both upwards into the midslopes and uplands and also outward along the coastline as in the case of Apia urban areas and clusters of villages or districts with large settlements from Apia to the Faleolo International Airport of Upolu island and the northeast coastal areas of Savai'i island. Catchments also are affected as settlements have and are progressing close to and along river banks such as those living within the lowland areas of the Vaisigano catchment from the villages of Vaisigano, Leone, Ma'agao and Lelata, to Maagiagi village inland. 40. In the consideration of this state and trends of land resources, an important strategic focus for the aligned NAP are the sections of the country's population and areas of critical ecosystems that are affected and or are highly vulnerable to the impacts of land degradation, and the effects of droughts which should be the priorities for the programmes of action. Figures 11, 12 and 13 provide the results of the analysis of questions raised with the communities regarding the LDD affected populations, land areas and ecosystems in their respective community land areas, that should be prioritized for the NAP's strategic and operational interventions. 1. The Priority Affected Population & Communities 41. In terms of the affected populations Figure 10 shows the village populations, future generations and the population in general as the highest priority affected population sectors. The concern for land resources securities for future generations was strongly emphasized by local communities for without lands their descendants will have very limited to no development options in the country. Next to these three are the affected populations in low-lying coastal areas. Communities with land areas of remaining native or indigenous biodiversity and rural districts were also raised as important priorities. The rest include the farming community; the extended families or customary landowners; the poverty stricken populations and those residing on upland areas that are vulnerable to erosion, land slides and other land use risks. 42. The key priority affected populations may be listed as follow:  General population in terms of being indirectly affected by the effects of land degradation in affected areas such as the disruptions of transportation, communication and the availability of other social services due to the effects of flooding, erosion and landslides which may cut off these Figure 11: Priority affected ecosystems identified in community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. 34 services for times, or the effects of droughts which may sever water supply and the availability of other related water services.  Rural Coastal Villages - in terms of their vulnerabilities to flooding, erosion and related effects of severe weather patterns and also the state of land development related impacts such as health related pollution from areas where waste are disposed illegally and inappropriately and the loss of life supporting or lifeline social and economic services due to impacts of land degradation and effects of severe weather events.  Vulnerable Population and or People with Special Needs - these includes children, women and those with disabilities due to their vulnerability to LDD related issues and the limited availability of services to provide for their needs.  Urban Populations - in terms of their vulnerability to the impacts of overcrowding, pollution and residing in or close to unhealthy living conditions highly impacted by the pressures of expanding and large scale construction, infrastructural and commercial developments and urban industries. 2. The Priority Affected Landscapes and Ecosystems 43. For the priority affected land areas and ecosystems, the analysis of local communities responses that are presented in Figure 11 and Figure 12 show that the low-lying coastal areas are the most affected areas for the highest priority. Next to it are the catchments and upland ecosystems which are susceptible to the encroachments of growing populations that are migrating inland and agricultural cultivation that have extended into these areas. The next priority areas are the affected agricultural lands, settlement areas and the coastline. The rest include drought prone areas, logged forests, sites of illegal waste dumps and then the rock and aggregate quarry or mining sites. The priority placed on low-lying coastal areas is obvious in many ways, such as the fact that about 70% of human settlements and the most developed lands in the country are located from the coastlines to much of the low-lying coastal areas of the inhabited islands. These locations have also experienced the greatest adverse impacts of recent severe weather and geological events such as the destruction and flooding of the major cyclones of the '90s and the impacts of the 2009 tsunami. Coastline sand mining and land reclamation, and the mining of rocks and aggregate for buildings and the construction of Figure 12: Priority affected land areas identified in community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. 35 public infrastructures have emerged from the community consultations and other relevant observations as key threats to the environmental quality and stability of the country's land resources. In summary the continuing increase in population and development along the low lying coastal areas is approaching into the mid-slope to the upland ranges of the islands. This is notable in the Apia urban area with the relocation of some local communities inland such as those in Sogi and Fugalei areas. Impacts of coastal erosion and flooding also adds to the migration of villages inland such as the relocation of most of the village population of Saleapaga Aleipata to their higher inland areas. 44. The priority affected landscapes and ecosystems may be summarized as follow:  Coastal and Lowland Ecosystems - due to the overcrowding and pressures of increasing settlements and development and impacts of climate and other natural phenomena  Mid-slope to Upland Ecosystems - inland and higher ground spread and movement of human settlements and developments and the impacts of these trends  Remaining Native Forests - clearing for subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture, mining and other development activities  Catchments - impacts of human development and settlement that are encroaching into or located close to catchments and the increasing demands for water resources  Agricultural Lands (customary & private( - impacts of agrochemicals and overuse of land resources without periods for land and soil regeneration and replenishment  Drought prone areas impacts of long droughts and occurrence of forest fires.  Mines or quarry lands areas left unusable after the mining of rocks and aggregates for construction and infrastructural developments. Figure 13: Example of the impact of a land degradation activity landslide on a road without stabilization of the steep slopes it is located. Source: MNRE 36 D. Impacts of the State of Land Resources 45. The continuing development of finite land resources without proper management controls can lead to critical levels of competing needs or competition on severely depleted available resources. Consequently this situation could lead to the general decline in the quality of the environment and the available ecological services which underpin development needs. Competition and conflict could increase that can undermine the social cohesion of communities, induce the marginalization and force migration of affected populations and communities either more into the vulnerable uplands of the islands or to seek opportunities with their families in overseas countries. This could significantly increase the out migration of the country's population which is already on a steady trend as shown in Figure 14. E. Response to Land Degradation Issues 46. Samoa's response to land degradation issues has evolved from the traditional practices such as shifting cultivation and taboo lands of the past to the use of a wide range of state or collective policy and legislative frameworks covering the broad and specific aspects of land issues and sustainable land management. Environmentally sound and sustainable development policies and plans which include the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS), the National Environment Management Strategy (NEMS) which have recently being reviewed and updated into a National Environmental Sector Plan (NESP) and the more specifically targeted environmental policies such as the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), the National Waste and Pollution Management Strategy (NWPS), the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), the Sustainable Infrastructure Assets Management Programme (SIAM), the National Water Sector Programme(WASP), the National Agriculture Sector Plan (NASP)and especially the National Figure 15: An example of a large scale rock and aggregate mining operation in Samoa - Sale'imoa, Upolu Island. Source: MNRE 2015. Figure 14: Samoa's Net Migration Rate (migration(s)/1,000 population. Source: CIA Worldfact 37 Action Programme to Combat Land Degradation (NAP) have each and all incorporated relevant measures for addressing the causes and effects of land degradation and droughts in the country. 47. Other relevant conventional programme include the national reforestation programme, agro forestry and the establishment of National Parks and Reserves. The reforestation programme was very active in the second half of the last century though its objective was to replace the logged native forests with forests of fast growing exotic timber species. National Parks and Reserves which included the O le Pupu Pu'e National Park and Togitogiga Forest Reserve, the Lake Lanoto'o Reserve and the Mount Vaea and Robert Louis Stevenson Reserve in Upolu island and the Mauga o Salafai Reserve in Savai'i island are the major terrestrial reserves of the government. The government continued this practice with the development of other small parks and reserves in the town area including the Taumeasina Reserve, the Tuana'imato Sports Complex Reserve and others which serve as places for the public to relax and enjoy the aesthetic aspects of nature and the country's native flora and fauna. Restoration, Conservation & Sustainable Use of Forest Resources and Wildlife 48. The replanting of forests; the establishment of national parks and reserves; and the establishment of community forest conservation areas in the latter half of the last century are considered as the initial measures implemented by the country to address the issues of land degradations. Currently about 6.7% of the country's total area is under protection in reserves and park such as the O le Pupu Pu'e National Parks, the Lake Lanoto'o Reserve and the Mauga o Salafai Reserve15. Sustainable Development and Management of Land Resources 49. Most of the interventions from these national policies and programmes deal with the protection of and address the threats affecting key land resources such as water, ecological habitats, agricultural lands and areas of social services. Some deal with maintaining the stability of land resources and their associated ecological services, building the resilience of these resources against the social and natural causes of land instability and the consequent decline of the associated ecological services. However very few if any have direct Figure 16: Example of an extensive seawall project - Vaiala Upolu Island. Source: MNRE. 38 measures for the conservation and maintenance of the soil quality and the geological aspects of land resources. Studies have been carried out to establish the capability of the country's land resources for agriculture such as the soil capability maps that were recently produced but have not been publicly promoted and used due to some technical limitations16. 50. More efforts will be needed therefore to review and update the existing policies and maybe institute new policies, to ensure they will include strong and active measures for the conservation and protection of the soils and the geological makeup of the country's land resources. 51. Grassroot communities have actively supported and took part in the various relevant national and local awareness, educational and environmental management programmes which address land issues. These include as mentioned above the establishment of community conservation areas or KBAs; the control of sand mining, forest fires and other land degradation activities; and providing local authority support for the enforcement of compliance with key environmental planning and protection legislations such as the environmental impact assessment processes to mitigate development impacts on land resources and the promotion of technologies that increases land productivity and sustainable land management. Traditional land use and land management practices such as slash and burn, shifting cultivation and crop rotation and mixed cropping have been and still practiced in some rural village communities will need further research to strengthen the sustainable land management best practices and to eliminate the land degradation activities. 52. Any review of the response to land degradation and drought issues will not be completed without an acknowledgement of the active role played by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Scientific and Technology Institutions (STI) of the country. CSOs that are actively involved in various aspects of land management includes WBDI, METI, OLSSI, SFA and SUNCO. Key STIs include USP, NUS and SROS. In partnership with government organizations and their support of local communities efforts to address land degradation issues and increase the productivity of affected land areas. 53. Some of the examples of relevant sustainable land management work CSOs and STIs are involved with include: the promotion of awareness and educational programmes on land issues; the establishment of community Figure 17: An example of a large scale farming system in Samoa - the Westerlund Farm at Falelauniu, Upolu Island, which supply its Farmer Joe Supermarkets and some overseas export. Source: MNRE 2015. 39 conservation areas in particular the preservation of indigenous forests and the replanting of native forest species; the promotion of and the building of capacities for organic farming and other soil friendly agricultural practices and technologies; and working with communities to address important socio-political issues surrounding the use of land resources on customary land areas for public developments such as water supply, electric power generation, communications, renewable energy and other social services. 54. Examples of cases of political land issues includes the case of Maagiagi villages lands that are affected by power and water supply facilities, the case of the Satapuala village claims on lands used for the development of the Faleolo International Airport, and the case of water resources with potentials for hydro power and water supply on the customary lands of the villages of Sili, Gataivai and Vailoa in Savai'i. These socio-political land issues on one hand demonstrate the sensitivities of historical development surrounding the ownership of land resources in the country, but more so on the other hand is the emerging local demands for land resources to meet the needs of their growing populations. 55. More recent important cases of social issues in the response to land degradation issues may include the case of the development of new roads and public services utilities to support communities that are being relocated inland from their coastal locations that were either adversely affected by natural disasters or were government or church lands that are affected by new policy changes. Examples of these cases may include the relocation of communities along the coastal areas of Aleipata district that were affected by the 2009 tsunami and relocation of coastal urban settlements at Togafu'afu'a and Sogi due to changes in church and government policies on the status and use of the concerned coastal land areas that were occupied by these affected populations. 56. The response processes to land degradation issues were largely reactive and top down in nature and structure when it sets out from the latter half of the last century. That is a land problem or issue is identified and defined, and as it progresses, the awareness and policy actions were formulated and implemented to address it at the same time. More proactive and bottom up responses were only recently developed and are still in their infancy Figure 18: Another of the major rock and aggregate mining and quarry site Tuiolemu Lalomanu, at southeast of Upolu Island. Source: MNRE 2015. 40 stages such as the various national policies and grassroots initiatives which generally start with a long term vision and strategic interventions that will not only address the issues but will build the capacities of the communities to proactively address the issues through addressing and transforming their drivers or root causes and creating the enabling social and material environments that promotes more positive and sound community development that are free from the causes of the issues of grave concern. 57. The next section sets out a vision to strengthen and expand the enabling social and environmental environments that were started in the last NAP to achieve an active sustainable land management culture that supports a more environmentally sound and sustainable development pathways for the limited and highly fragile and vulnerable land resources and affected populations of Samoa. 58. To conclude this section, the summary of the priority state and trends of drivers, pressures, state, impact and response of land resources in the country which forms the basis of the Aligned NAP's vision and strategic objectives and its mission and operational objectives that are defined in the next Section is set out below: Priority Drivers: agriculture unsustainable development and consumption patterns construction& infrastructural projects industries (tourism) village development activities climate change Priority Pressures deforestation agrochemicals mining (rock, aggregate & sand) invasive species waste & pollution Priority State decline in the quality of land resources and ecological services limited available lands and land resources for development Figure 19: An example of the trend in rock and aggregate mining and quarry site being used also as a waste dumpsite at Leauva’a. Source: MNRE 2015. 41 Priority Impact economic development land constraints competing land use demands changes in land ownership indirect effects on other development sectors Priority Response living conditions of affected populations in: low-lying coastal areas and vulnerable mid-slopes to uplands conditions of affected landscapes and ecosystems including: catchments, agricultural lands, vulnerable coastlines, remaining upland native forests and expanding urban areas sustainable land management practices which include: traditional practices and appropriate technologies and approaches 42 SECTION TWO: THE VISION, STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, MISSION & OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF THE NAP A. The Vision 59. A clear vision and understanding of how the current state and trends in land issues will evolve in this century should help maintain a long term focus of the country's attention to actions that can achieve a more sound and sustainable development of the country's land resources. Such a focus will provide the space to develop and implement effective strategies and actions to establish a strong culture of sustainable land management practices that contribute to achieving the sustainability of land development objectives. Important elements and priorities of that vision were explored in the last section which include the nature and scope of land ownership or land governing systems in the country; the state and trends in the conditions of land resources; and the affected populations, land areas or ecosystems that should be prioritized in the sustainable land development agenda of the country in the coming years. 60. Such a vision also would need to be inclusive of the country's population which directly own and managed about 81% of the country's land resources if it is to elicit their full support and participation in actions to address land degradation and drought issues. Inclusiveness also extends to the potential synergies and complementarities of this vision with those of the other environmental and development policies with relevant provisions for addressing land issues in the country. The vision while it may be ambitious should also be practical and based on the social and environmental realities of the country's land resources and in line with the best interests of those who are expected to achieve and benefit from it. And lastly the vision needs to be in solidarity with the vision of the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy which guides the alignment of Samoa's NAP. In view of these and any other important considerations the following vision is being defined for the aligned NAP: B. Strategic Objectives, Targets and Expected Impacts 61. The vision indicates the strategic priorities of the NAP are in terms of the targeted affected populations and critically affected landscapes and ecosystems. Affected populations also specifically recognizes the needs of the most vulnerable population sectors which include dependents, those with disabilities, the unemployed, children, young people and women. The strategic objectives, targets and expected impacts of The peoples, communities and Government of Samoa in partnership have reversed land degradation and mitigated the effects of drought through adoption of sustainable land management practices to achieve an improvement in the conditions of affected populations and ecosystems in Samoa. 43 actions for the priority affected populations, land areas and ecosystems are set out below. These strategic interventions will aim at empowering affected populations to improve their social conditions and improve the conditions of affected landscapes that are critical to their development, including the priority ecosystem sites, the priority vulnerable and degraded areas for protection, restoration, maintenance and the enhancement of ecological services that underpins development imperatives. They are also defined to align with and contribute to the achievement of the global targets and expected impacts of the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy. 62. The previous section shows that those that are living in rural and urban communities that are living in low-lying coastal areas are the priority affected populations that should be targeted for action in the Aligned NAP. Most of the country's population live in the low-lying coastal areas thus making the general population of the country largely vulnerable and affected by land degradations. Some of these affected rural populations and communities are also in areas that are highly prone to droughts, such as those in the northeast of Savaii and the southeast of Upolu islands. These are the targeted areas for the first strategic objective intervention of the NAP that is defined below: Strategic Objective 1 (SO1):To improve the living the conditions of the high priority urban and rural populations that are severely affected by land degradations and droughts Goal: A significant increase in the improvement of the living conditions of the priority affected populations. Targets: More than 10% of the priority affected populations have experienced a marked improvement in their living conditions. A marked increase in the food security and income generation capabilities of the affected populations. More than 10% of affected population have been raised above the UNDP poverty line defined for Samoa. Expected Impacts: Negative impacts of land degradation and droughts on affected populations have been reduced and or reversed. The living standards of more than 10% of affected populations have been raised well above the international and national poverty lines. People living in areas affected by land degradation and drought, in particular the vulnerable groups, have better livelihoods and income generation capabilities, and are able to generate income from sustainable land management practices. Affected populations vulnerability to climate change and drought in the future is reduced. 44 63. Agricultural lands, Key Biodiversity Areas and Catchments are the most vulnerable ecosystems and landscapes to the effects of land degradation and droughts. The strategic objective intervention of the Aligned NAP is aimed at improving the conditions of these affected areas. Some of the key issues to address include the potential decline in soil quality of agricultural lands due to the prolong exposure of these lands to the use of agrochemicals and overuse; the loss of biodiversity and the decline in the quality of ecological services of affected KBAs and catchments due to deforestation, cultivation, invasive species and severe weather conditions. Strategic Objective 2 (SO2) : To improved the conditions of priority affected landscapes and ecosystems including agricultural lands, catchments and key biodiversity areas. Goal: A significant improvement in the conditions and productivity of agricultural lands and key biodiversity areas is being achieved. Targets: 20% of affected agricultural land has experienced an improvement in conditions and ecological services 20% of key biodiversity areas have experienced an improvement in conditions and ecological services A 15% or more increase in organically certified farms A 20% increase in the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices throughout the country Expected Impacts: Productivity of affected agricultural lands have been restored and improved significantly. Conditions and ecological services of affected key biodiversity sites have been restored and or improved significantly. The affected agricultural land will be rehabilitated and will regain higher land productivity while protecting and promoting the health of ecosystem services, by practicing sustainable land management, including organic agricultural methods. This in turn will increase the resilience and decrease the socio economic and environmental vulnerability in the future. Ecological services of key biodiversity sites are restored and or improved. 64. For Samoa, the main global benefits refer to the unique and indigenous species of animals, plants and habitats that are found only in the country, and can contributes to the total biota of the planet. Raising these valuable resources to the level of being biological resources of global value in accordance with international conventions such as the relevant provisions of the CBD, should be given national and global conservation priority status. Therefore the strategic objective here which is in line with those of Samoa's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan or the NBSAP is defined to reflect the requirements for these conservation priorities. 45 Strategic Objective 3 (SO3): To contribute to increasing global benefits through improving the preservation of unique species and ecosystem Goal: The unique indigenous species and ecosystems of global value in Samoa have been secured from the causes and effects of land degradation and droughts. Targets: At least 50% of Samoa's unique indigenous ecosystems and species of global value have been protected in community conservation areas and national reserves that are free from the causes and effects of land degradation and droughts. Expected Impacts: Eco-tourism ventures have incorporated and benefited from the conservation of unique species and ecosystems of global value. Future generations of Samoans have identified with and benefited from a rich heritage of their effectively protected unique species and ecosystems. Community Conservation Areas (CCA) have received a significant increase in financial, technical and political support. Eco-tourism ventures have incorporated and benefited from the conservation of unique species and ecosystems of global value. Future generations of Samoans have identified with and benefited from a rich heritage of their effectively protected unique species and ecosystems . Community Conservation Areas (CCA) have received a significant increase in financial, technical and political support. 65. Communities have as discussed in the previous section raised the need to increase external funding to support programmes to address LDD issues in the country and also to develop the potentials of local funding and funding through collaborations of government and or non governmental organizations and village councils or communities. The strategic objective therefore is to secure funding for the implementation of the NAP in collaboration with other national programmes and projects and to increase local funding potentials to ensure that financial resources are available on a timely, predictable and sustainable manner. Figure 20: LDD awareness and education priorities identified in the community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. 46 Strategic Objectiuve4 (SO4): To increase the mobilization of individual, institutional and community resources for addressing land degradation and increasing land productivity in priority affected populations Goal: Financial resources and potential funding sources are secured for the effective implementation of the NAP. Target: More than 50% of funding for the implementation of the NAP have been secured from both local and external sources through effective partnerships Expected Impacts: Increased confidence and commitment of stakeholders to participate in the implementation of the NAP programmes. A marked improvement in the availability of needed financial resources on a timely, predictable and sustainable basis. The Mission 66. With the above stated strategic objectives in mind, the mission for the NAP will encompass what its stakeholders will carry out as priority actions to address issues of land degradation and droughts, and improve the productivity of affected land areas, the living standards of affected populations and the conditions of critically affected landscapes and ecosystems. The following mission statement therefore was formulated with this understanding in mind: 67. The mission statement identifies five priority themes of operational objectives to achieve the strategic objectives and consequently the vision of the NAP: awareness, policy, science, capacity building and financing and technology transfer. As in the strategic priorities the operational priorities are also aligned and contribute to the global targets of the UNCCD Ten Year Strategy. The next five subsections outline the goals, targets and expected outcomes for each of the five operational objective themes. To establish an integrated national framework to guide relevant policies, programmes and measures that will promote and support multi-sectoral partnership to prevent, control and reverse land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought, while increasing land productivity and ecosystem services in affected areas, through raising public awareness, aligning relevant policies, to increase scientific and technological knowledge on LDD, building capacities in the community, mobilizing resources, thereby contributing to poverty reduction, improving livelihoods and improving future resilience. 47 B. Operational Objective, Goals, Targets and Expected Outcomes Operational Objective 1 (OP1) - Awareness and Education: To effectively influence development planning processes and stakeholders to adequately address land degradation and drought related issues: 68. Figure 20 shows the analysis of communities’ response to questions regarding the priorities for awareness programmes to address land degradation and drought issues. The highest awareness priorities include the replanting of forests; the effective management and control of agrochemicals and general environmental awareness. Awareness, education and media include all forms - the informal and formal - programmes to ensure the achievement of populations and communities that are well informed of LDD issues and measures to effectively address them. The following goals, targets are expected outcomes are set for LADD awareness and education in the next five years: Goal: A significant increase in affected populations and communities that are well informed of LDD issues and measures to address them Targets: At least 60% of the country's population has been reached by media awareness programmes. At least 20% of affected populations took part in awareness events and educational programmes. About 50% of CSOs and GOs have implemented relevant LDD awareness and education programmes and or have incorporated and integrated LDD materials into their existing and ongoing awareness and educational programmes. Outcomes: Increase number of educated national and local decision making authorities that are fully informed of LDD issues and SLM considerations Increase coverage of LDD in primary and secondary school curriculum and informal or post educational programmes. Figure 21: LDD policy framework ppriorities identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. 48 Operational Objective 2 (OP2) - Policy Frameworks: To strengthen the creation of enabling environments that promotes solutions to combat land degradation and mitigate the effects of droughts. 69. Figure 21 shows the communities response to questions on the LDD priority policy actions. The highest LDD policy issues include the potential effects of agrochemicals on the quality and the ecological content and processes of soils in particular the soils of agricultural lands that have long been exposed to the continuing use and effects of these chemicals. The next four priority policy issues include the replanting of native forests, and measures to ban and control logging and forest clearing, sand mining and the development of quarries for aggregate and rock mining. Other policy priorities include measures to stabilize and reinforce the coastlines, river banks and steep slopes or uplands against the impacts of erosion, flooding and landslides, and measures to improve individual and collective compliance with environmental protection legislations. 70. Much of the policy work required to address LDD issues should take place with the review and updating of relevant existing national and local development policies in order to incorporate appropriate considerations to control, reduce and reverse land degradation effects and to mitigate the effects of drought. For instance is the case of the mining of sand, aggregate and rocks for construction and public works - policy review and updating for these issues will need to cover both the necessary controls for mining sites, but also measures to limit and promote sustainable demands for these construction materials and the development of new alternatives. 71. Policy actions will need to target not only the impacts but especially the drivers of LDD issues. Development policies will have key considerations for the promotion of sustainable land management practices as enduring solutions to land degradation and drought related issues. Goal: The existing and new development sector policies have included definite considerations to prevent and address land degradation; mitigate the effects of droughts; promote soil conservation; improve the productivity of land resources and maintain the viability of ecosystem services of priority affected land areas and ecosystems. Targets: At least 50% of existing developme nt sector policies have been revised and updated to incorporate appropriate Figure 22: Science and technology priorities identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. 49 measures to address LDD issues and promote relevant sustainable land management measures. At least 5% of Government Organizations and Institutions(GOIs)ions and 20% of CSOs have instituted specific institutional arrangements to promote and support the implementation of LDD and SLM measures. Outcomes: Improved enabling national and local policy enabling environments for addressing LDD issues. Increase collective support and participation of the institutions of the development sectors in the implementation of relevant solutions and practical measures to combat LDD issues. Monitoring and enforcement of the conditions for environmental compliance are being effectively carried out by all LDD and SLM stakeholders. Operational Objective 3 (OP3) - Science and Technology: To become the competent authority on scientific, technical and traditional knowledge of LDD issues and SLM technologies and practices 72. Figure 22 shows the analysis of the communities' perspectives on questions regarding the priorities for science and technology programmes to address LDD issues. The highest science and technology priority issue is the replanting of indigenous forests, the next two priorities composting and land fallow systems - are important soil enrichment and regeneration interventions. The next four priorities of equal rank include the phasing out of agrochemicals, enhancing proper waste management, increasing agro-forestry and the propagation of nitrogen fixing species, livestock management and the vegetative rehabilitation of degraded land areas. Goal: Scientific and technical knowledge of LDD issues is widely disseminated and used by affected populations and national stakeholders to address LDD issues. Targets: At least 60% of the Scientific and Technology Institutions (STIs) are actively engaged in the generation Figure 23: Capacity building priorities for LDD issues identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. 50 and dissemination of LDD scientific, technical, innovative and traditional knowledge, skills and information. The sustainable land management learning and experiences of affected populations and NAP stakeholders are systematically monitored, analyzed and widely reported, disseminated and shared with interested parties through different media. At least 5% of affected populations are well aware of the water and soil conditions in affected landscapes. Outcomes: Increase capacity on the use of available and pertinent scientific, technical, innovative and traditional knowledge and information by NAP stakeholders. New and emerging LDD issues such as the effects of agrochemicals on agricultural lands, the replanting of native forests, and others have be effectively studied and reported Establishment of water and soil quality databases in affected landscapes respectively. Operational Objective 4 (OP4) - Capacity Building: To identify and address capacity needs of national stakeholders and affected populations for addressing LDD issues. 73. Figure 22 shows the results of the analysis of the community consultations on the capacity building priorities for addressing LDD issues. The two highest priorities are the village council governance and the relevant entities for enforcing compliance with environmental regulations. Next to these two is the development of capacities for phasing out agrochemical and transitioning agriculture into organic alternatives, the preparation of LDD projects and the participation of women. Capacity building should target the three protagonists of LDD and SLM actions, namely the individual, the institutions and the community. Other important capacity building action will include the role of young people, customary land owners, and resources for the effective enforcement of environmental regulations, the regulation and management of land uses and logging bans, and the promotion of sustainable land management, soil conservation and Figure 24: Priority sites (ecosystems) for LDD & SLM projects identified in the community consultations. Source: MNRE 2015. 51 sustainable land use, at all levels, in particular at the village level where these actions are taking place directly. 74. Capacity building programmes should also value those traditional land knowledge of land resources and traditional land use practices that are recognized as sustainable land management best practices, such as shifting cultivation, permaculture and organic farming. Any capacity building initiative to address land degradation and drought effects should incorporate and upscale those valuable traditional land use knowledge and practices. Goal: Capacity needs of the three protagonists of LDD and SLM actions are significantly acknowledged and developed, especially for those in the priority affected populations and communities. Targets: A significant increase in the capacities of individuals, institutions and communities of affected populations for addressing LDD issues. A significant increase in the level of participation and representation of women and young people in the decision making processes of their local communities. Policies affecting the local development and management of customary lands such as the 1990 Village Fono Act are being reviewed and updated to strengthen NAP informed decision making. Capacity building approaches that are suitable to both the social realities and needs of local communities are being designed and implemented. Outcomes: A systematic pattern for building capacities to address LDD issues has emerged in affected populations. Increase in the number of capacity building initiatives effectively implemented. Increased participation of women and young people in the decision making process of their local communities. Figure 25 Priority LDD & SLM project issues identified in the community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. 52 Operational Objective 5 (OP5) - Financing and Technology Transfer: To identify and address the capacity needs of national stakeholders and affected populations for addressing LDD issues 75. Figure 23 shows the results of the analysis of communities’ response to questions on the financing and technology transfer priorities for addressing LDD issues. The obvious highest financing priority which seems to base on the country's current experience is the need to increase funding from external financing sources. For the immediate funding needs, communities felt that these could be secured with allocations from the existing land uses activities, land management projects, village funding and collaborations with the business community. 76. Financing is not only about having adequate available funds to implement the necessary LDD and SLM activities but it also includes the development of effective schemes of national and local coordination that will ensure the efficient and equitable flow of financial resources to support the activities of individuals, institutions and communities who are at the forefront of addressing LDD issues, and developing the potentials of communities to self-fund their own land issues. Goal: The required levels of financing and the potential sources of funding for NAP implementation have been secured and extensively developed. Targets: More than 80% of the level of financing needed to adequately implement the NAP has been secured. Outcomes: The efforts of existing sources of funding to support LDD actions are effectively coordinated. New sources of funding have been secured and accessed on a timely and predictable manner. The transfer of suitable technologies and information to combat LDD issues has significantly been advanced. Secured funding for scientific research to address LDD and SLM issues has also been explored. The potentials of local communities to contribute to the financial needs of their land issues have been developed. Figure 26 Priority LDD & SLM programmes and project participants identified in the community consultation. Source MNRE 2015. 53 SECTION THREE: SECTORS' PRIORITY PROGRAMMES OF ACTION 77. In light of the fact that all of the NAP sectors have highly relevant programmes of actions for achieving the NAP in particular its vision of a strong culture of sustainable land management practices in the country, it is important therefore to define the sectors priority programmes of action for the 2015-2020 NAP period. At the outset, the NAP stakeholders are organized into five broad implementation sectors - agriculture, public works and infrastructures, industries and commerce, social services and environmental services. Each sector has provided brief outlines of their priority programmes of action that will contribute to the strategic and operational objectives of the aligned NAP. 78. The results of the community consultations on the five questions below regarding the priority LDD and or SLM projects for the NAP provided additional guidance to the sectors for the development of their priority programmes of action: 1. Which part of your land areas should be prioritize for a project to explore and demonstrate the effectiveness of methodologies and or approaches for resolving and improving the conditions of land areas affected by land degradations? 2. Which land degradation issues should be prioritized in a demonstration projects? 3. Who should participate in the implementation of this project? 4. Who should benefit from this project? 5. What capacities you would need to develop for an effective implementation and management of this project? 6. How will your community support this project? 7. What assistance will you need from the government for the implementation of your project? A. Communities Priority Sustainable Land Management Projects 1. Priority Project Sites 79. Figure 24 shows the analysis of communities’ response to the first question on priority project sites. The highest priority sites are catchment areas. Next to these are the low-lying coastal areas and the coastline, then the equally important sites of agricultural lands, the remaining native forests and upland areas. 80. Catchment areas have been raised by Figure 27 Priority beneficiaries of LDD & SLM projects identified in the community consultation. Source MNRE 2015. 54 communities as critical landscapes requiring adequate protection and where restoration and effective management are needed. Of particular concern to the communities are catchments in their local communities on customary-owned lands. Land owners and local communities who directly manage these critical landscapes require empowerment and necessary capacities to effectively manage these sites. 81. Prioritizing the low-lying coastal areas and the coastline is obviously due to the fact that around 70% of the country's population is settled in these areas. Agricultural lands have been raised as a priority due to the high dependence of local populations on these areas for food security and livelihoods. Again, the key issues to address is the potential effects of the long term use of agrochemicals, the restoration of soil quality, increasing productivity and availability of markets and the potentials of transitioning agriculture into organic or more environmentally friendly agricultural practices. 2. Priority Project Issues 82. Figure 25 provides the analysis of communities’ responses to the question on the priority land degradation issues for LDD and or SLM projects of the NAP. The highest issue is erosion followed by the impact of agrochemicals and the mining of rocks and aggregate or the development of quarries. Next to these high priority issues are the flooding and pollution in low-lying coastal areas, the reduce flows of catchments especially during drought periods; the coastline impacts of sand mining; the impacts of frequent earthquakes; forest fires during the dry seasons in particular on the drought prone northern coast of Savaii and the southern coast of Upolu; and the impacts of invasive species. 83. Other important priorities of equal rank includes deforestation; agriculture cultivation in catchment areas; overcrowding population pressures; general erosion issues on slopes and upland areas; loss of biodiversity; impacts of free ranging or roaming livestocks; loss of arable lands to quarries and other mining and land clearing activities and decline in crop yields. 3. Priority Project Participants & Beneficiaries 84. Figure 26 shows the analysis of the results of communities’ response to the question on the priority participants of LDD and or SLM projects. The local village populations have been identified as the highest priority participants. They include the village councils, the women committees; the young people and all village residents. Next to Figure 28 LDD & SLM project management capacity building priorities identified in community consultation. Source MNRE 2015. 55 the village participants are the government agencies and church authorities. Other participants considered include the population in general; the farming and the business communities and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) or Non-government organizations (NGOs). 85. Figure 27 shows the priority beneficiaries communities have identified for LDD and/or SLM project. Again the villages’ resident populations are selected as the main beneficiaries whilst the general populations and women are singled out as a special beneficiary group. The government, extended families and the churches are the next groups of beneficiaries. The rest include tourists, national and local financing institutions, the young people, the customary land owners and farmers. In this respect, only village lands have been specifically mentioned as a beneficiary land resource. 86. While the government is the main initiator of programmes and projects to address land degradation and drought issues, the local landowners and land developers who are resident of village communities should be the priority participants and beneficiaries of these efforts and should ideally take the initiative and make the commitment that will effectively guide and determine the level of support they would require from the government and other external sources. However it is important for communities to have the capacity to understand, start and manage effectively their project initiatives. Therefore, in any initiative, it is important to incorporate some key capacity building activities that will empower the villages to support and participate meaningfully. 5. Priority LDD & SLM Project Capacity Needs 87. Figure 28 show the analysis of the communities response to the question on the priority capacities they will need to develop to effectively manage and implement LDD and or SLM projects. Project management is the highest capacity building priority. Next to it is the need to increase the capacity of the village governing systems starting from the village matai council so these local structures are able to play important supporting roles such as creating enabling environments and providing spaces for the project participants to function effectively. 88. Next to these priorities are the capacities for villages to collaborate on initiatives which affect and benefit them; capacities for sustainable agriculture such as organic farming and the replanting of forests on a more systematic and large scale basis. Figure 29: Priority local community support for LDD & SLM projects identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 56 89. Other needed capacities includes the development of the roles of the different groups in the villages such as the young people and women and village committees; the understanding and resources for enforcing land legislations and general environmental compliance; knowledge and skills for controlling and limiting the use of agrochemicals; for forging environmental collaboration among village groups or entities; and mobilizing collective village and government support. Priority Local & National Support 90. Figure 29 and Figure 30 demonstrate communities’ response to questions regarding the priority local and government support they expect to receive for their SLM projects. In terms of local support the communities identify their collaboration and partnerships with the government and other stakeholders as the priority support for their projects. Next to this support is the commitment of those in their communities who will participate actively in activities to address LDD issues and develop SLM practices. Other important local supporting resources will include village regulations, village councils, local project management teams or committees and village participants. 91. In terms of the government support, the village communities prioritizes government and external aid funding as the highest, then tools and equipments, awareness raising and capacity building and the advice and accompaniment from experts in the field of SLM technologies and practices. 92. With these local community priorities in mind the next sub section provides outlines prepared by the five NAP implementation sectors of their relevant priority programmes of action they will either continue or start to implement in support of the NAP strategic and operational objectives. Figure 30: : Priority government and national stakeholder support for LDD & SLM projects identified in community consultation. Source: MNRE 2015. 57 B. NAP Sectors' Relevant Programmes and Projects 93. The implementation of the aligned NAP can start in earnest with the relevant existing programmes and projects. These will include programmes and projects that will start and those that are taking place within the NAP implementation period of 2015-2020. Samoa's recent national reports to the UNCCD for the three biannual reporting periods of 2008-2009, 2010-2011 and 2011-2013 included a listing of completed, ongoing and new programmes and projects with both direct and indirect contributions to the implementation of Samoa's 2006 NAP. 94. Table 2 below lists some of the existing relevant programmes and projects and new ones proposed for the implementation of the NAP. Detail information on each of these programmes and projects can be obtained from their coordinating organizations. Table 2: Some of the key sectors' programmes with relevant provisions and or activities for the implementation of the aligned NAP17. NAP'S IMPLEMENTING SECTOR RELEVANT PROGRAMMEMES & PROJECTS COORDINATING ORGANIZATION CURRENT STATUS S - Starting O - Ongoing N/P- New or Proposed RELEVANT BENEFITING NAP OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE Agriculture Samoa Agriculture Competitive Enhancement Project (SACEP) MAFF O OP1, OP2, OP3 Stimulus Package Programme MAFF O OP1, OP3, OP4 Industries & Commerce Private Sector Support Project MCIL O OP3, OP4, OP5 Social Services Youth Farming Project MWCSD O OP1 Community Vegetable & Livestock Project MWCSD O OP1 Household Income and Expense Survey HIES SBS O OP1 Career Advisory Service career days & school visits SQA O OP1 School Nutrition Project MESC O OP1 Environmental Services Strengthening Multi Sectoral Management of Critical Landscapes (SMSMCL) MNRE S OP1, OP2, OP3, OP4 & OP5 WASP MNRE O 58 Integrating Climate Change Risks into Forestry Management in Samoa (ICCRIF) MNRE O OP1, OP2, OP3, OP4 National Adaptation Programme of Action 4 (NAPA 4) MNRE O OP1, OP3, OP4 LDC-F Fund Project MNRE O OP1, OP3, OP4 Green Climate Change Fund MNRE N/P OP1, OP3, OP4, OP5 Pacific Climate Change Resilience and Risk Management Project (PCCR) MOF O OP1, OP2, OP3, OP4 Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PFCR) MOF O OP1, OP2, OP3, OP4 Capacity for implementing the Rio Conventions in Samoa MNRE O OP1, OP3, OP4 Science and Technology Institutions Fruit spirits and alcohol research and development programme (e.g. breadfruit beer, vinegar spirit). SROS O OP3, OP5 Non-gluten flour research and development programme (e.g. breadfruit flour) SROS N/P OP3, OP5 Soil quality monitoring of priority LDD affected ecosystems and agricultural lands SROS & NUS N/P OP1, OP2, OP3 59 SECTION FOUR: NAP IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING STRUCTURE A. District Cluster Action Programmes & National NAP Coordination 95. The NAP will be implemented through thirteen (13) clusters of district divisions that were used during the NAP alignment community consultations. This is the same framework used in the local implementation of the GEF/UNDP/GoS funded Samoa Multi-sectoral Sustainable Management of Critical Landscapes Project (SMSMCL). This means that each cluster of districts or villages will develop its own sustainable development plan of action for addressing LDD through promoting SLM practices under the framework of the aligned NAP and other policy frameworks. 96. This process will be a bottom up approach which prioritizes the participation of the affected populations who are the main targets and implementers of the NAP. The cluster will be set out as a social construct or space for the participants of and those committed to the NAP to collectively increase their understanding of the issues, and learn through hands-on and practical activities and reflections, the best methods and practices for addressing their LDD issues and promoting SLM practices. Each cluster will carry out this implementation in a three monthly cycle of action, reflection and consultation or implementation, evaluation and planning. 97. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is the leading national coordinating institution of the NAP and will continue to work closely and in collaboration with key national stakeholders in the execution of its coordinating responsibilities. The previous National Steering Committee and the National Technical Committee of the NAP 2006 will continue their functions of providing guidance, analysis and support that will strengthen the multi-stakeholder participation of organizations and communities in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the NAP. B. Monitoring & Reporting 98. The activities and learning at the cluster level implementation of the NAP will inform and guide the monitoring, coordination and supporting roles of the NAP's national and international stakeholders and organizations. The monitoring, assessment and reporting on the NAP implementation will follow and utilize the UNCCD's online monitoring and evaluation system called The Performance Review of Implementation System or PRAIS. Table 3 shows the alignment of Samoa's NAP 2015-2020's with the UNCCD's PRAIS monitoring and reporting indicators for the monitoring and evaluation of the NAP, and the preparation of Samoa's biannual national reports to the UNCCD on the implementation of the Convention. 99. By using the UNCCD PRAIS system, it both aligns the NAP's national monitoring and reporting with the UNCCD system and facilitate the preparation of Samoa's biannual national reports to the Convention that are being prepared and submitted through this system. Using this system will therefore both meet Samoa's reporting obligation to the Convention and the NAP's national reporting requirements simultaneously and, through the use of a common set of indicators and standard interpretations. Details of the UNCCD PRAIS can be obtained from the UNCCD website http://www.unccd.int. 60 100. The results of the analysis of the NAP and the Convention implementation for Samoa that are being produced through the UNCCD PRAIS will provide valuable information to both refine the NAP and guide the formulation of programmes and projects of the government for strengthening and improving the sustainable management of the country's land resources. Table 3: Alignment of Samoa's NAP objectives, goals and targets and the UNCCD's Ten Year Strategy Objectives, Targets and Indicators18. .UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 - 2018 OBJECTIVES UNCCD PRAIS MONITORING INDICATORS FOR ANNEXED COUNTRIES (including Samoa) UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 2018 TARGETS (Global Targets) SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Objectives& Goals SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Targets Strategic objectives Impact Indicators Population S-1: Decrease in numbers of people negatively impacted by the processes of desertification/ land degradation and drought. No target set* SO1- Strategic Objective 1: To improve the living the conditions of high priority urban and rural populations that are severely affected by land degradations and droughts. Goal: A significant increase in the improvement of priority affected populations. More than 10% of priority affected populations have experienced a marked improvement in their living conditions. S-2: Increase in the proportion of households living above the poverty line in affected areas. No target set More than 10% of affected population have been raised above the UNDP poverty line. S-3: Reduction in the proportion of the population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption in affected areas. No target set Increase the food security and income generation capabilities of the affected populations. Ecosystems S-4: Reduction in the total area affected by desertification/ land degradation and drought. No target set SO2 - Strategic Objective 2: To improved conditions of priority affected landscapes and ecosystems including agricultural lands, catchment and key biodiversity areas. Goal: A significant improvement in the conditions and productivity of agricultural lands and key biodiversity areas is being achieved. 20% of affected agricultural land has experienced an improvement in conditions and ecological services (define indicators for improvement and services) 20% of key biodiversity areas have experienced an improvement in conditions and ecological services (define indicators for improvement and services) 15% or more increase in organically certified farms S-5: Increase in net primary No target set 20% increase in use of sustainable, 62 .UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 - 2018 OBJECTIVES UNCCD PRAIS MONITORING INDICATORS FOR ANNEXED COUNTRIES (including Samoa) UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 2018 TARGETS (Global Targets) SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Objectives& Goals SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Targets productivity in affected areas environmentally friendly agricultural practices (specify a set of practices such as organic fertilization, crop rotation, composting) Global Benefits S-6: Increase in carbon stocks (soil and plant biomass) in affected areas. No target set SO-3: To contribute to increasing global benefits through improving the preservation of unique species and ecosystem Goal: The unique indigenous species and ecosystems of global value have been secured from the causes and effects of land degradation and droughts. At least 50% of unique indigenous ecosystems and species of global value have been protected in community conservation areas and national reserves that are free from the causes and effects of land degradation and droughts. S-7: Areas of forest, agricultural and aquaculture ecosystems under sustainable management. No target set Resources S-8: Increase in the level and diversity of available funding for combating desertification/ land degradation and mitigating the effects of drought. No target set SO-4: To increase mobilization of individual, institutional and community resources for addressing land degradation and increasing land productivity in priority affected populations Goal: Financial resources and potential funding sources are secured for the effective implementation of the NAP. More than 50% of funding for the implementation of the NAP have been secured from both local and external sources through effective co-funding partnerships S-9: Development policies and measures address desertification/land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought. No target set Operational Objectives Performance Indicators Awareness Indicator CONS-O-1 30% of population OP-1: To effectively influence At least 60% of the country's population 63 .UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 - 2018 OBJECTIVES UNCCD PRAIS MONITORING INDICATORS FOR ANNEXED COUNTRIES (including Samoa) UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 2018 TARGETS (Global Targets) SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Objectives& Goals SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Targets informed about DLDD and/or DLDD synergies with climate change and biodiversity development planning processes and stakeholders to adequately address land degradation and drought related issue have been reached by media awareness programmes. Indictor CONS-O-3 A steady growth in the participation of CSOs and STIs in the Convention processes is recorded along the implementation period of The Strategy Goal: A significant increase in affected populations and communities that are well informed of LDD issues and measures to address them At least 20% of affected populations took part in awareness events and educational programmes. Indicator CONS-O-4 A steady growth in the number of DLDD-related education initiatives undertaken by CSOs and STIs is recorded along the implementation period of The Strategy About 50% of CSOs and GOs have implemented relevant LDD awareness and education programmes and or have incorporated and integrated LDD materials into their existing and ongoing awareness and educational programmes Policy Indicator CONS-O-5 80% of ACPs have formulated/revised a NAP aligned to The Strategy Operational Objective 2 (OP-2): Policy Frameworks: To strengthen the creation of enabling environments that promotes At least 50% of existing development sector policies have been revised and updated to incorporate appropriate measures to address LDD issues and promote relevant 64 .UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 - 2018 OBJECTIVES UNCCD PRAIS MONITORING INDICATORS FOR ANNEXED COUNTRIES (including Samoa) UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 2018 TARGETS (Global Targets) SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Objectives& Goals SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Targets solutions to combat land degradation and mitigate the effects of droughts Goal: The existing and new development sector policies have included definite considerations to prevent and address land degradation; mitigate the effects of droughts, improve the productivity and maintain the viability of ecosystem services of priority affected land areas. sustainable land management measures. Indicator CONS-O-7 100% of ACPs have joint national plan or functional mechanisms in place to ensure synergies among Rio conventions At least 5% of Government Organizations and Institutions (GOIs) ions and 20% of CSOs have instituted specific institutional arrangements to promote and support the implementation of LDD and SLM measures Science & Technology Indicator CONS-O-8 60% of affected country Parties. …have established and supported national monitoring systems for DLDD Operational Objective 3 (OP-3): Scientific and technical knowledge of LDD issues is widely disseminated and used by affected populations and national stakeholders to address LDD issues. At least 60% of Scientific and Technology Institutions are actively engaged in the generation and dissemination of LDD scientific, technical, innovative and traditional knowledge, skills and information. Science & Technology Indicator CONS-O-10 70% of revised action programmes have successfully gone through a quality self assessment Goal: Scientific and technical knowledge of LDD issues is widely disseminated and used by affected populations and national stakeholders to address LDD issues. The sustainable land management learning and experiences of affected populations and NAP stakeholders are systematically analyzed and widely disseminated and shared with interested parties through different media. At least 5% of affected populations are well aware of water and soil conditions in affected landscapes 65 .UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 - 2018 OBJECTIVES UNCCD PRAIS MONITORING INDICATORS FOR ANNEXED COUNTRIES (including Samoa) UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 2018 TARGETS (Global Targets) SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Objectives& Goals SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Targets Capacity Building Indicator CONS-O-13 90% of ACPs implement DLDD specific capacity building initiatives Operational Objective 4 (OP4) : To identify and address capacity needs of national stakeholders and affected populations for addressing LDD issues. Goal: Capacity needs of the three protagonists of LDD and SLM actions are significantly acknowledged and developed, especially for those in the priority affected populations and communities. A significant increase in the capacities of individuals, institutions and communities of affected populations for addressing LDD issues A significant increase in the level of participation and representation of women and young people in the decision making processes of their local communities. Policies affecting the local development and management of customary lands such as the 1990 Village Fono Act are being reviewed and updated to strengthen NAP informed decision making. Capacity building approaches that are suitable to both the social realities and needs of local communities are being designed and implemented Financing & Technology Transfer Indicator CONS-O-14 At least 50% of ACPs, sub regional and regional entities have developed integrated investment frameworks Operational Objective 5 (OP5): To identify and address the capacity needs of national stakeholders and affected populations for addressing LDD issues. Goal: The required levels of financing and the potential sources of funding for NAP implementation have been secured and extensively developed. More than 80% of the level of financing needed to adequately implement the NAP has been secured. Indicator CONS-O-16 Degree of adequacy, timeliness and predictability of financial resources 66 .UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 - 2018 OBJECTIVES UNCCD PRAIS MONITORING INDICATORS FOR ANNEXED COUNTRIES (including Samoa) UNCCD TEN YEAR STRATEGY 2008 2018 TARGETS (Global Targets) SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Objectives& Goals SAMOA'S ALIGNED NAP 2015-2020 CORRESPONDING Targets made available by DCPs to combat DLDD (no global target set) Indicator CONS-O-18 A steady growth in the financial resources allocated to facilitate access to technology by affected country Parties is recorded along the implementation period of the Strategy A steady growth in the number of economic and policy incentives reported upon is recorded along the implementation period of the Strategy * The 'No target' reference means that the Convention is yet to establish these targets at this time. APPENDICES Appendix 1: The UNCCD Ten Year Strategy19 Ten-year Strategic Plan and Framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention (2008-2018) I. INTRODUCTION 1. Developed as a result of the Rio Summit, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is a unique instrument that has brought attention to land degradation in the dry lands where exist some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and people in the world. Ten years after its coming into force, the UNCCD benefits from universal membership and is increasingly recognized as an instrument which can make a lasting contribution to the achievement of sustainable development and poverty reduction globally. 2. After a decade of implementation, it is recognized that limiting factors have prevented optimal deployment of the Convention. Chief among these factors are insufficient financing compared to its two Rio sister conventions, a weak scientific basis, insufficient advocacy and awareness among various constituencies, institutional weaknesses and difficulties in reaching consensus among Parties. 3. Also, the UNCCD operates today in an environment that has evolved considerably since when it was first negotiated and it faces different opportunities and constraints which will condition its implementation in the forthcoming decade. 4. For one thing, the policy environment has changed considerably since Rio with the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), increased support to Africa and the least developed countries, stronger commitment for climate change mitigation and adaptation, prospects of global agricultural trade liberalization, and growing numbers of environmental refugees and migrants shedding new light on the impacts of poverty and environmental degradation. 5. The scientific environment has also evolved with the work of the Millennium Assessment (MA) on dry land ecosystems, which has contributed to improved understanding of the biophysical and socio-economic trends relating to land degradation in global dry lands, and their impacts on human and ecosystem well-being. The MA has also contributed to mapping out key gaps in data and knowledge on dry land ecosystems and people. 6. The financing environment has also changed profoundly in the last decade, with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) becoming a financial mechanism of the Convention, official development assistance (ODA) flows increasing again after a decade of stagnation, and declining resources for rural development and agriculture. Donors have refocused their financing strategies 68 to support country-driven priorities, based on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and other country-led development planning instruments. Lastly, various innovative financing instruments have come to life, including payments for ecological services and carbon finance. 7. This new environment provides the starting point for this strategic plan along with an assessment of the successes and limiting factors of the Convention as it enters its second decade. This strategic plan provides a unique opportunity to address some of the Convention's key challenges, to capitalize on its strengths, to seize opportunities provided by the new policy and financing environment, and to create a new, revitalized common ground for all UNCCD stakeholders. II. THE VISION 8. The aim for the future is to forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. III. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACTS 9. The following “strategic objectives” will guide the actions of all UNCCD stakeholders and partners in the period 2008–2018, including raising political will. Meeting these long-term[1] objectives will contribute to achieving the above-mentioned vision. The “expected impacts” are the long term effects intended by the strategic objectives. Strategic objective 1: To improve the living conditions of affected populations Expected impact 1.1. People living in areas affected by desertification/land degradation and drought to have an improved and more diversified livelihood base and to benefit from income generated from sustainable land management. Expected impact 1.2. Affected populations’ socio-economic and environmental vulnerability to climate change, climate variability and drought is reduced. Indicator S-1[2]: Decrease in numbers of people negatively impacted by the processes of desertification/ land degradation and drought. Indicator S-2: Increase in the proportion of households living above the poverty line in affected areas. [1] For the purposes of this strategic plan, “long term” means ten years or more. [2] The indicators contained in the strategic plan are indicative of the types of indicators to be established to provide information on the trends in affected areas. These global indicators are to be refined further by the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) capitalizing on existing sources of data, to form the baseline data trends under outcome 3.2. See below: Chapter VII. Performance monitoring, paragraph 1. 69 Indicator S-3: Reduction in the proportion of the population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption in affected areas. Strategic objective 2: To improve the condition of affected ecosystems Expected impact 2.1. Land productivity and other ecosystem goods and services in affected areas are enhanced in a sustainable manner contributing to improved livelihoods. Expected impact 2.2. The vulnerability of affected ecosystems to climate change, climate variability and drought is reduced. Indicator S-4: Reduction in the total area affected by desertification/land degradation and drought. Indicator S-5: Increase in net primary productivity in affected areas. Strategic objective 3: To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD Expected impact 3.1. Sustainable land management and combating desertification/land degradation contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change. Indicator S-6: Increase in carbon stocks (soil and plant biomass) in affected areas. Indicator S-7: Areas of forest, agricultural and aquaculture ecosystems under sustainable management. Strategic objective 4: To mobilize resources to support implementation of the Convention through building effective partnerships between national and international actors Expected impact 4.1. Increased financial, technical and technological resources are made available to affected developing country Parties, and where appropriate Central and Eastern European countries, to implement the Convention. Expected impact 4.2. Enabling policy environments are improved for UNCCD implementation at all levels. Indicator S-8 [3]: Increase in the level and diversity of available funding for combating desertification/ land degradation and mitigating the effects of drought. Indicator S-9: Development policies and measures address desertification/land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought. [3] Indicators pertaining to Parties’ implementation are to be further developed and refined. (See below: Section VII. Performance monitoring, paragraph 1). 70 IV. THE MISSION 10. To provide a global framework to support the development and implementation of national and regional policies, programmes and measures to prevent, control and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought through scientific and technological excellence, raising public awareness, standard setting, advocacy and resource mobilization, thereby contributing to poverty reduction. V. OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES 11. The following “operational objectives” will guide the actions of all UNCCD stakeholders and partners in the short and medium term [4] with a view to supporting the attainment of the above mentioned vision and strategic objectives. The “outcomes” are the short and medium-term effects intended by the operational objectives. Operational objective 1: Advocacy, awareness raising and education To actively influence relevant international, national and local processes and actors in adequately addressing desertification/land degradation and drought-related issues. Outcome 1.1: Desertification/land degradation and drought issues and the synergies with climate change adaptation/mitigation and biodiversity conservation are effectively communicated among key constituencies at the international, national and local levels. Outcome 1.2: Desertification/land degradation and drought issues are addressed in relevant international forums, including those pertaining to agricultural trade, climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, rural development, sustainable development and poverty reduction. Outcome 1.3: Civil society organizations (CSOs) and the scientific community in the North and the South are increasingly engaged as stakeholders in the Convention processes and desertification/ land degradation and drought are addressed in their advocacy, awareness-raising and education initiatives. Operational objective 2: Policy Framework To support the creation of enabling environments for promoting solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. Outcome 2.1: Policy, institutional, financial and socio-economic drivers of desertification/land degradation and barriers to sustainable land management are assessed, and appropriate measures to remove these barriers are recommended. [4] For the purposes of this strategic plan, “short and medium-term” means for a period of three to five years. 71 Outcome 2.2: Affected country Parties revise their national action programmes (NAPs) into strategic documents supported by biophysical and socio-economic baseline information and include them in integrated investment frameworks. Outcome 2.3: Affected country Parties integrate their NAPs and sustainable land management and land degradation issues into development planning and relevant sectoral and investment plans and policies. Outcome 2.4: Developed country Parties mainstream UNCCD objectives and sustainable land management interventions into their development cooperation programmes/projects in line with their support to national sectoral and investment plans. Outcome 2.5: Mutually reinforcing measures among desertification/land degradation action programmes and biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation are introduced or strengthened so as to enhance the impact of interventions. Operational objective 3: Science, technology and knowledge To become a global authority on scientific and technical knowledge pertaining to desertification/land degradation and mitigation of the effects of drought. Outcome 3.1: National monitoring and vulnerability assessment on biophysical and socio-economic trends in affected countries are supported. Outcome 3.2: A baseline based on the most robust data available on biophysical and socio-economic trends is developed and relevant scientific approaches are gradually harmonized. Outcome 3.3: Knowledge on biophysical and socio-economic factors and on their interactions in affected areas is improved to enable better decision-making. Outcome 3.4: Knowledge of the interactions between climate change adaptation, drought mitigation and restoration of degraded land in affected areas is improved to develop tools to assist decision making. Outcome 3.5: Effective knowledge-sharing systems, including traditional knowledge[5] are in place at the global, regional, sub regional and national levels to support policymakers and end users, including through the identification and sharing of best practices and success stories. Outcome 3.6: Science and technology networks and institutions relevant to desertification/land degradation and drought are engaged to support UNCCD implementation. [5] Excluding traditional knowledge on genetic resources. 72 Operational objective 4: Capacity Building To identify and address capacity-building needs to prevent and reverse desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. Outcome 4.1: Countries which have carried out the national capacity self assessment (NCSA) implement the resulting action plans to develop the necessary capacity at the individual, institutional and systemic levels [6] to tackle desertification/land degradation and drought issues at the national and local levels. Outcome 4.2: Those countries which have not previously undertaken capacity needs assessments engage in relevant assessments processes to identify capacity needs for tackling desertification/land degradation and drought at the national and local levels. Operational objective 5: Financing and Technology transfer To mobilize and improve the targeting and coordination of national, bilateral and multilateral financial and technological resources in order to increase their impact and effectiveness. Outcome 5.1: Affected country Parties develop integrated investment frameworks for leveraging national, bilateral and multilateral resources with a view to increasing the effectiveness and impact of interventions. Outcome 5.2: Developed country Parties provide substantial, adequate, timely and predictable financial resources to support domestic initiatives to reverse and prevent desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. Outcome 5.3: Parties increase their efforts to mobilize financial resources from international financial institutions, facilities and funds, including the GEF, by promoting the UNCCD/Sustainable land management (SLM) agenda within the governing bodies of these institutions. Outcome 5.4: Innovative sources of finance and financing mechanisms are identified to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought, including from the private sector, market-based mechanisms, trade, foundations and CSOs, and other financing mechanisms for climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and for hunger and poverty reduction. Outcome 5.5: Access to technology by affected country Parties is facilitated through adequate financing, effective economic and policy incentives and technical support, notably within the framework of South-South and North-South cooperation. [6] See the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “Resource Kit for National Capacity Self-Assessment”, 2005, page vi, for a description of the various levels at which capacity can be developed. 73 Appendix 2: Guiding Questions for Community Consultation Part 1: Priority Affected Populations and Ecosystems 1. What activities are causing the degradation of your lands? 2. What are the causes of these activities? 3. Who is responsible for these activities? 4. Which are the most affected populations that should be prioritized? 5. Which are the most affected land areas that should be prioritized? 6. Are there special ecosystem areas affected that should be prioritized? Part 2: Priority Programmes of Action/Operations 1. What should be the priorities for awareness and educational programmes to increase individual and collective knowledge for addressing land degradation issues? 2. What policies should be amended and or new policies to be formulated to guide the government and the communities’ activities for the sustainable use and management of land resources in key developments such as agriculture, roads, seawall, and others? 3. What should be the priorities for scientific research to address land degradations and improve the conditions of your affected land areas? 4. What should be the priorities for improving institutional capacities to address land degradations in your local communities? 5. How can financial resources be mobilized in your communities to support programmes for addressing land degradations and improve the conditions of your affected land areas? Part 3: Priority LDD & SLM Projects 8. Which part of your land areas should be prioritize for a project to explore and demonstrate the effectiveness of methodologies and or approaches for resolving and improving the conditions of land areas affected by land degradations? 9. Which land degradation issues should be prioritized in a demonstration projects? 10. Who should participate in the implementation of this project? 11. Who should benefit from this project? 12. What capacities you would need to develop for an effective implementation and management of this project? 13. How will your community support this project? 14. What assistance will you need from the government for the implementation of the project? Part 4: Sustainable Land Management Measures 1. Does your community have policies for the protecting and conservation of your land resources? 2. Are the methods or approaches you have already practised for the sustainable use of your land resources in various development activities? 74 Appendix 3: Report of National & Community Consultation The implementation of the United Nation’s Convention to Combat Desertification, Land Degradation and Droughts (UNCCD), is carried out through a Ten Year Strategy for 2008 to 2018 (UNCCD 10YS). Country Parties were required to align their National Action Programmes to the Ten Year Strategy. Samoa’s NAP alignment process was launched in November 2014 with a series of national and local community wide consultations to review the existing NAP and to consider the priorities for its alignment with the UNCCD’S Ten Year Strategy. Community wide consultations were held in late November to December 2014 in 13 district cluster divisions20 of the country. These divisions follow the 13 targeted sites of Samoa’s GEF 5 Strengthening of Sustainable Management of Critical Landscape Project (SMSMCL) with villages added to each division more than those of the project. Representatives of the three main governing entities in each district cluster – village council, women’s committees and young people – were invited to these consultations. Consultations were held in three groups of these governing entities and around key questions on four themes – the priority land degradation affected populations and ecosystems; the priority programmes of actions or operations to address issues of land degradation; the priority sustainable land management projects to initiate the implementation of the new and aligned NAP; and sustainable land management measures communities have adopted and or practiced. The first two covered priorities for the UNCCD’s Ten Year Strategy objectives; the third to update information for the community implementation of the SMSMCL project and the fourth to provide baselines on existing community sustainable land management practices. The full record and analysis of the community consultations are attached. The results were analyzed into the highest to the lowest priority issues based on the number of consultative groups which raised them. The following findings were realized: First on the level of participation: 1. Ninety five percent (95%) of those invited turned up: 31% of village councils, 34% of women's committees and 35% of young people. 2. Fifty consultative groups were formed: 18 of village councils, 20 of women committees and 14 of young people. For theme 1 on Priority Affected Populations and Ecosystems: 1. In terms of the priority affected populations the highest 3 were village residents, future generations and the general population. 2. For the priority affected ecosystems the highest 4 priorities were catchments, remaining native forests, coastal ecosystems and agricultural lands. 3. The 4 highest priority land degradation activities to address were deforestation, agrochemicals use, free ranging livestock and rock and aggregate mining. 75 4. The 6 highest drivers of these activities were agriculture, unsustainable development practices, unsustainable consumption patterns, poverty alleviation, village developments and climate change. For theme 2 on Priority Programmes of Actions / Operations: 1. For awareness and education programmes, the highest 4 priorities were the replanting of forests; the management of agrochemicals; general environmental awareness and the conservation and protection of the remaining native forests. 2. In terms of policy development, the 4 priority issues were the banning and or phasing out of agrochemicals; the replanting of forests; the banning of logging and forest clearance; the banning and or effective controlling of rock and aggregate mining; effective enforcement of environmental compliance and the banning and or effective controlling of sand mining. 3. In terms of science and technology, the replanting of forests, development of organic fertilizers and composting and the development of land fallow systems were the priorities. 4. For capacity building, the 6 highest priorities were in the areas of village council governance; environmental compliance; phasing out of agrochemicals; transitioning to organic farming; preparations of local project proposals and the role of women. 5. And for financing, the 6 priorities were the increase of external funding; allocations from current land uses; allocations from relevant existing projects; local funding and village collaborations. For theme 3 on sustainable land management projects: 6. The highest 6 project sites were catchments; low-lying coastal areas; coastlines, agricultural lands, remaining native forests and upland forests. 7. The 9 priority project issues were soil erosion; coastline erosion; the impacts of agrochemicals; rock and aggregate mining; lowland flooding; coastal pollution; reduction in catchment flows, coastal reclamations and sand mining. 8. The 6 priority project participants were the village councils; women committees; untitled men and women; youths; NGOs and government agencies. 9. The 6 priority project beneficiaries were the village residents; the general population; youths; women; NGO and government agencies and extended families. 10. The 6 priority project capacities were the area of the project management; village governance; village collaborations; sustainable agriculture; replanting forests and sustainable land management. 11. The 3 priority project community support were village collaborations, village participation and, government and village partnerships. 76 12. And the 4 priority project government support were in terms of human resources and financing; tools and equipments; awareness and training and; expert advisory services. For theme 4 on existing sustainable land management (SLM) practices: 1. For SLM policies, village ranked 6 as the highest they have currently adopted: ban on agrochemicals; ban on forest logging; ban on roaming / free ranging livestock; land protection/ conservation regulations; ban on illegal waste dumping and the enforcement of agrochemical use regulations. 2. For SLM methodologies, 13 were ranked highest as current practices: replanting forests; composting; nitrogen fixing species; wise land use practices; waste management; organic farming; fencing in livestock; environmental compliance; agro-forestry; organic fertilizers; agrochemical controls; land fallow systems and seawalls. These results will guide the next series of national consultations to formulate the vision, mission, objectives and strategies of the aligned NAP that will be carried out by national government and non-governmental stakeholders. In this way the grassroots communities set the aligned NAP priorities and the national agencies and their partners design the NAP interventions to address them. The process should be completed in the first half of 2015 for Samoa's preparations for the upcoming UNCCD COP 13 at the end of the year. 77 REFERENCES 1 SAMFRIS - Samoa's Forest Resource Information System 2015 2 Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment : Government of Samoa, Samoa's National Environmental Sector Plan 2013-2016 3 Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment: Government of Samoa, Samoa's National Action Programme (SNAP) 2006 4 Tu'u'u Ieti Taule'alo, So'oialo David Fong & Patea Malo Setefano, Samoan customary lands at the crossroads some options for sustainable management , 5 Ibid 6 Reports of Samoa's GEF/UNDP funded Medium sized Sustainable Land Management Project, Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, 2007-2010 7 Ibid 8 Ibid 9 Ibid 10 Project Document of the GEF/UNDP funded 5 Year Project: Samoa's Multi-sectoral Sustainable Management of Critical Landscapes, 2013-2018, Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment 2013 11 Government of Samoa's various rapid assessment reports and recovery plans for cyclones within the last three decades which include cyclones Ofa, Val, Heta and Eveni in 1990, 1991 and 2004 and the 2009 tsunami, Government of Samoa, 1990, 1991, 2004 & 2009. 12 State of the Environment of Samoa 2013 report, Government of Samoa: Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, 2013 13 Samoa's Environment Outlook 2012, Government of Samoa: Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, 2012. 14 Ibid. 15 http://koema.com/atlas/Samoa/topics/Envirojhment/Biodiversity-and-Ptected-Areas/Terrestrial-and marine-pteted-area; and World Development Indicators (WDI) July 2012 16 Reports of the GEF/UNDP/Government's NAPA funded Integrated Climate Change Risks Into Forestry Project, 2011-2016, Government of Samoa: Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, 2015 17 Collated from the sectors' reports and contributions made by their representatives during the NAP alignment national stakeholders consultations in November 2014 to July 2015. 18 Ibid 19 Adopted from the text of the UNCCD's 8th Conference of the Parties, Decision 3, 2008 20 The 13 district clusters were: Aleipata, Fagaloa, Mulifanua to Falelatai, Siumu to Falealili, Itu o Tane, Itu o Asau, Itu o Salega, Palauli & Satupa’itea, Fa’asaleleaga, Lefaga and Salamumu, Safata, Apia Urban Area and Aleisa to Tuamasaga and Aana Alofi.