The Rapid Biological Survey project (BIORAP) is a joint initiative between Samoa, New Zealand and SPREP.
BIORAP will focus on surveying the plants, birds and animals of approximately 65,000 hectares of Savaii's cloud forests.
Savaii is considered an area of special biodiversity significance, ranked 23rd out of 226 South Pacific islands in terms of conservation value.
10 May 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has announced that the Rapid Biological Survey project (BIORAP) will be conducted on Savaii, Samoa, during May 2012. BIORAP will focus on surveying the plants, birds and animals of approximately 65,000 hectares of Savaii’s cloud forests.
BIORAP is a joint initiative involving Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), SPREP, and New Zealand’s Department of Conservation and Defence Force. Funding is provided by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint programme between the Government of France (l’Agence Française de Développement), Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.
SPREP notes that Savaii is considered an area of special biodiversity significance, ranked 23rd out of 226 South Pacific islands in terms of conservation value. The survey results are expected to provide important information on the state of Samoa’s endemic species, and will be used by MNRE and Savaii communities to develop management approaches for cloud forests. SPREP plans to develop a set of recommendations including options for both the conservation and sustainable use of the Savaii cloud forests and the species within them. [SPREP Press Release]