Context
Samoa’s existing forests serve as crucial habitat for indigenous species as well as an important carbon sink which could be absorbing up to 800,000 t CO2 annually. Several government initiatives have played a role in protecting Samoa’s forest resources, including establishment of national parks, bans on commercial logging, reforestation programs, and community forest programs. Samoa’s updated NDC aims to expand the area under agroforestry to an additional 5 percent of agricultural land by 2030 relative to 2018, which will also help protect crops from cyclone damage, diversify agricultural incomes, and reduce flood risk. Secondly, Samoa aims to manage forests sustainably and increase total forest cover by 2 percent by 2030 relative to 2013 to moderate stream flow, protect indigenous ecosystems, preserve cultural values, and maintain the supply of non-timber forest products. However, there have been no efforts to map Samoa's forests and estimate the carbon sinks. Samoa needs to improve data and information on forests, deforestation and forest degradation.
CTCN Support
This technical assistance will develop a framework and methodology to map the forest using Earth observation and carbon sink estimation while identifying possible issues and opportunities to link to the international carbon trading market through efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+). The activities will include mapping vegetation and general land cover, classifying forest and land cover categories, assessing map accuracy through field data collection, defining a methodology and creating a model to estimate the amount of carbon that could be stored or captured through each land category, analyzing the REDD+ definition along with Samoan national strategies for REDD+ and identifying potential barriers and opportunities, and developing a framework to support Samoa in managing forests sustainably and monitoring landscape changes.
Expected Impact
The potential for the use of ecosystems in market approaches will be explored. The development of an improved management plan and framework will increase forest sustainability and reduce the population’s vulnerability to climate change. The technical assistance will contribute to the achievement of Samoa’s NDC, which aims to expand the area under agroforestry to an additional 5 percent of agricultural land by 2030 relative to 2018, and to increase total forest cover by 2 percent by 2030 relative to 2013.
