Mangroves in Samoa

Where fresh water mixes with sea water

Paddle right in to some of Samoa's most pristine environment. Discover the winding branches of the mangroves. "Mangrove" is a common name for a specific plant type that is abundant in the tropics. They grow at sea level where the fresh water from streams and springs mixes with the seawater.

The term "mangrove" often refers to the eco-system that has developed where the conditions are suitable for the highly specialised mangrove trees. Plants identified as mangroves represents over 34 species of which 3 are found in Samoa. These are Rhizophora mangle, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Xylocarpus moluccensis. Numerous different plant species are found in the ecosystem, many of them ferns, mosses and other epyphytes that grow on the stems of the mangrove trees. In Samoa, orchids are often seen growing on the mangrove trees. The mangrove trees are tolerant to sea water and water with fluctuating salinity. Their roots with special air tubes are adapted to grow in substrates with low oxygen levels. 

More Mangrove: Click on pictures

In the Pacific, mangrove ecosystems are common on sheltered coastlines where sediment deposits, such as river estuaries. The mangrove is important as a buffer between land and sea, and protects the lagoon and the coral reef from siltation and nutrient runoff. The ecosystem sustain a specific food chain and often hosts a rich bird fauna. Crocodiles does not exist in Samoa but is a well known inhabitant of the Mangroves in Australia. In Samoa, certain species of crabs only occur in the mangroves and the Mullet, a sea living fish, is dependent on the mangrove ecosystem for its reproduction. Both are highly esteemed by the Samoans as a food source. The value of the mangrove ecosystem as a food source and that the mangrove trees themself don't possess a high market value in Samoa, makes it somewhat easier for us to preserve the ecosystem. However with an increased demand for land, the risk is high that mangrove areas will be sacrificed for land reclaim. Vast areas of mangrove forest around Apia (capital of Samoa) were long ago filled out for that reason.

Ecotourism adds an economic value to the mangrove ecosystem as long as the local community benefit from it. In Samoa the largest mangrove area has been declared as "conservation area" by the South Pacific Region Environment Project (SPREP). Ecotourism plays a major role in this conservation project and the villages are hopefully encouraged by the extra cash income they earn when we go there. 

Notice that, in Samoa, most of the land is customary and can not be sold. No customary land can be declared as conservation area by the government or any outside institution, unless the village agrees. Thus, the success of a conservation area such as that in Sa'anapu village is highly dependent on the villagers incentive for nature conservation.