Samoan tropical moist forests

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Samoan tropical moist forests
Savai'i
Map of the Samoan Islands
Ecology
RealmOceanian
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Geography
Area2,763 km2 (1,067 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered[1]
Protected231 km2 (8%)[2]

The Samoan tropical moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Samoan Islands of the Pacific Ocean.

Approximately 30% of Samoa's biodiversity is endemic, found only in Samoa, with new species still being discovered including two new butterflies in 2009 and freshwater fish new to science. The country has more native species of ferns and butterflies than New Zealand, a country 85 times larger.[3]

Geography

The Samoan Islands are in the central Pacific Ocean. They are volcanic in origin. The islands have a total area of 3,030 km2 (1,170 sq mi). The largest islands in the group are

Savai'i and Upolu. The islands are politically divided between Samoa, an independent country; and American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States.[1]

The islands are located south of the equator, and have a humid tropical climate. Rainfall exceeds 2,000 mm (79 in) annually.[1]

Flora

Plant communities include lowland rain forest, which is the most extensive, with montane forests and cloud forests at higher elevations. There are smaller areas of montane scrub, pandanus scrub, littoral (seashore) scrub, montane swamp forest, and summit scrub.[1]

Lowland rainforest was once the largest plant community on the islands, although over 80% of it has been converted. Characteristic trees are Diospyros samoensis, Diospyros foliosa, Calophyllum inophyllum, Didymocheton alliaceus, Didymocheton gaudichaudianus, Pometia pinnata, Planchonella torricellensis, Myristica fatua, and species of Syzygium. Fagraea berteroana, Glochidion ramiflorum, Lepidocupania brackenridgei, and Morinda citrifolia grow on rocky lowland lava flows.[1]

Montane rain forest grows on lower mountain slopes, which have a cooler and wetter climate than the lowlands. Didymocheton huntii is the dominant canopy tree, with Pterophylla samoensis, Canarium harveyi, Rhus taitensis, and species of Syzygium and Astronidium. Morinda citrifolia, Metrosideros vitiensis, and Pterophylla samoensis grow on upland lava flows.[1]

Cloud forest forms on higher mountain slopes with almost continuous cloud cover and high rainfall above 650 meters elevation. Typical cloud forest trees are Polyscias pleiosperma, Pterophylla samoensis, Didymocheton huntii, and Coprosma savaiiensis. Tree ferns (Cyathea spp.), the fern Dicranopteris linearis, and the climber Freycinetia storckii grow in the forest understory.[1]

Low scrubby plants, including the Samoan endemics Vaccinium whitmeei, Spiraeanthemum samoense, and Coprosma strigulosa, grow on the highest-elevation lava flows.[1]

The Central Savai'i Rainforest, comprising an area of 727 square kilometres (281 sq mi) on the island of

volcanic craters including recent lava flows.[4] The rainforest spans the inland region of the island, and includes montane forest and cloud forest which contain most of Samoa's endemic native species, many of which are threatened or near extinction.[3] The endemic shrub Metrosideros gregoryi is known only from Matavanu crater on Savai'i.[5]

Littoral or coastal strand plant communities include trees and shrubs like Scaevola taccada, Pandanus tectorius, Barringtonia asiatica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Pisonia grandis, and coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) which are widespread along seacoasts in the Indo-Pacific region.[1]

Fauna

See also: List of birds of Samoa and List of mammals of Samoa

Endemic birds include the rare and unusual

Samoan moorhen (Gallinula pacifica) are both endemic to Savai'i. The Samoan moorhen was last recorded in 1873 with possible sightings in 1984 at the upland forests and at Mount Silisili in 2003.[6]

Conservation

See also: List of protected areas of Samoa

Most of Samoa's land is under

matai, the chiefly heads of families.[7] Conservation projects therefore take place in partnership with matai, such as the lowland rainforest preserve in Falealupo village, at the western tip of Savai'i and Tafua village on the south east coast.[citation needed
]

Some of the islands' plants are used for food, fiber, and traditional Samoan medicine (see

Samoan plant names).[citation needed
]

In 1994,

biological diversity. By 2010 protected areas in the country covered 5% of land.[8]

Protected areas include

Ta‘ū
.

Gallery

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Samoa tropical moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ^ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
  3. ^ a b c James Atherton, ed. (2010). "Report:Vaega Fa'atauainamole Fa'asaoi Samoa, Priority Sites for Con-servation in Samoa: Key Biodiversity Areas" (PDF). Conservation International - Pacific Islands Programme, Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Samoa tropical moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  5. ^ Pillon, Yohan (2018). A new species of Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) from Vanuatu and notes on the genus. Phytotaxa Vol. 347 No. 2: 13 April 2018: 197–200. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.347.2.10
  6. ^ "Species factsheet". Birdlife International. 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  7. ISBN 982-02-0012-1
    . Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  8. ^ "Samoa struggling with biodiversity goals". Islands Business. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Samoa". Protected Planet. Accessed 27 May 2020. [2]
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