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Responding to COVID-19 Crisis Impacts on Local Communities in Vanuatu Through Emergency Interventions and Indigenous-led Management of Protected and Conserved Areas in the Santo Mountain Chain Biodiversity Hotspot

Terrestrial Protected Area Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA) Key Biodiversity Area

Governance Management Effectiveness Livelihoods

Local Communities Youth Women

Rapid Response Grant | 49,670$ Samoa; Pacific 01.05.2021 – 30.04.2022

Protected and conserved area(s) concerned

Uafato Conservation Area (ICCA), Falease’ela Rainforest (ICCA)

The BIOPAMA AC Objectives addressed

Supporting local community initiatives aiming to enhance the livelihoods of local people whilst effectively contributing to Protected Area Management.

Priority need addressed

Through increased opportunities for income generation, the project aims to support two rural communities in Samoa to work towards improving the livelihoods of the local community and enhance the resilience of these local communities to major shocks caused by the COVID pandemic. Simultaneously, increased community involvement in Protected Areas management will strengthen resilience to pandemics and Global Climate Change. The project will promote the implementation of existing objectives in relevant management plans such as the Uafato Conservation Area Management Plan and the Faleaseela Watershed Management Plan. Such objectives include the management of threats to Samoa’s National Bird, the Tooth-Billed Pigeon or Manumea, and other native fauna, such as from invasive species and hunting. The project will also focus on the restoration of degraded rainforests, including the planting of native trees and the raising of environmental awareness on the links between human health and the health of natural ecosystems and biodiversity.

The change the project implementation will bring for the protected area(s)

This Rapid Response Grant will be used to empower, up skill, equip, and train local people in two community conservation areas/key biodiversity areas where people are experiencing a loss of income due to COVID-19. In addition to COVID-19, the communities are also experiencing negative effects of climate change. The project will result in improved livelihoods and also address the need for well-informed and well-trained nature tour guides in community-based conservation areas where the Manumea is believed to exist. The project will also work to establish ecotourism, provide training in bird identification and monitoring in these Manumea friendly Villages (MFV), and will work to improve livelihoods and income for local families. It will empower the villagers who have been adversely affected by the downturn in the economy due to COVID-19 to become guardians of their natural resources (e.g., the Manumea and the rainforests).

Download the project infofiche.