Apia, Samoa – Leaders of the villages of Faleaseela, Lefaga, and Siufaga, Falelatai came together
today to share their experiences and knowledge on ecosystem-based solutions to combat climate
change impacts faced by low-lying coastal communities like theirs, on the southwest coast of
Upolu.
Faleaseela hosted a delegation from Siufaga to exchange knowledge and best practices about the
adaptive ability and capacity of coastal natural resources, such as mangrove and marine protected
areas, to tackle changes in climate at the village level.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to host the Siufaga, Falelatai chiefs and their development
the committee so that we can share our best practices and knowledge learned from our mangrove and
marine conservation projects,” said Taloolevavau Ulusele, mayor of Faleaseela village.
Faleaseela has completed its mangrove and marine conservation projects while Siufaga is
currently undertaking the same project in their village. Both sites are similar in nature, and both are
funded by the United Nations Development Programme’s Global Environment Facility Small
Grants Programme.
“This a golden opportunity for our team to visit and see for ourselves the value and hard work that
goes into similar initiatives so that we can take back practical lessons that fit our context while we
are implementing our mangrove and marine conservation project,” said Taefu Ulu, mayor of
Siufaga village.
The exchange aimed to replicate the knowledge of conservation efforts, reinforce resilience and
adaptability to climate change and drives home the point that communities can take the lead in
local conservation efforts and come up with relevant solutions. It is hoped that neighboring
villages, or similar initiatives, are able to share relevant best practices and translate them into
community action to achieve the desired solutions.
“Resilient nations with adaptive capacity require empowered mechanisms to be in place in local
communities to combat climate change. These include the restoration of marine coastal resources
like mangroves to withstand the impacts of climate change, as well as coming up with ecosystem-
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
PRESS RELEASE
One UN House, Tuanaimato, Samoa | www.ws.undp.org
