On Monday 6 June, HE David Ward, British High Commissioner and Seumalo Afele Faiilagi,
ACEO of Division of Environment Conservation planted a tree to honour the 70 years of
service by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the UK and across the commonwealth.
The Queen’s Green Canopy is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her
Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the globe to “Plant a
Tree for the Jubilee”. The talafalu tree was specifically selected as it is the host/food plant
for the Samoan swallowtail butterfly. The MNRE division of Environment Conservation and
the Samoa Conservation Society plan to reintroduce the talafalu tree back to Samoa from
American Samoa; and then to reintroduce the Samoan swallowtail butterfly.
As part of the Queen’s Green Canopy celebrations HE David Ward announced UK’s funding
contribution of £10,000.00 (SAT $33.2K) towards the Vailima Botanical Garden Zoning
Project for the installation of accessibility resources for persons with disabilities including
the extension of the wheelchair accessible pathway.
The Art Whistler Memorial Garden at the Vailima Botanical Garden (VBG) is the only
wheelchair-accessible natural tourist attraction in Samoa. The VBG is one of the most
highly visited tourist locations in Samoa, but the uneven trails make it difficult for
everyone to enjoy the surrounds. The installation of assistance resources for people with
disabilities ensure that the VBG can be enjoyed by all.