Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) received word of funding on Tuesday from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service for Last Stand: Preserving NAUMATI Lowland Rainforest, Tafuna Plain, Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Under the USDA Forest Legacy Program Inflation Reduction Act Funded Projects 2024 (Round 2), American Samoa will receive $10,330,00 for this conservation project.

The NAUMATI Lowland Rainforest will be preserved as American Samoa’s first locally managed Territorial Conservation Park. After a 40-year struggle to save the forest, DMWR and the American Samoa Government will manage the park for conservation education, nature recreation, and economic growth through ecotourism while permanently protecting critical wildlife habitat.

Naumati lowland forest is the last remaining significant stand (approximately 27 acres) of a unique tropical lowland “tava” forest on the Island of Tutuila.

It once covered most of the Tafuna plain, but has almost all been cleared for development.

The forest has a high diversity of wildlife, and provides the only refuge on the Tafuna Plain for rare species including the Samoan flying fox “pe’a vao”, purple-capped fruit doves “manutagi”, and many-colored fruit doves “manuma”. The forest also contains rare tree species including; "salato", the "stinging nettle" tree, "tava" (Pometia pinnata), and "aoa", massive native banyan "strangler" figs. The year-round fruits of this tree provide a critical food source for wildlife, but with urbanization, banyans have been almost completely extirpated from the lowlands of AS.

The forest also contains the Tia Seu Lupe Historic Monument, which is the best preserved and most accessible star mound in the Territory.

The effort to preserve this rare forest was led by DMWR with collaboration from local partners including the Governor’s Office, ASG Attorney Generals Office, ASCC-Land Grant, and ASEPA.

Federal and international partners aided with the project development including significant contributions from the USFS, USFWS, and the Nature Conservancy. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Conservation Investment has provided funding for a conservation lease while efforts to secure funding for permanent protection were developed.

The funding for purchase of the forest is from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Legacy Program, with significant contributions from the US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) Office of conservation Investment the Nature Conservancy.

As the last representative of a unique forest type, the site has exceptional historical value as it will be the only tangible link to the primordial forest types found in American Samoa.

Protecting Naumati will greatly expand public access to nature for current and future generations of American Samoan’s while also potentially providing jobs and economic growth for eco-touris

Since it was created in 1990, the Forest Legacy Program has conserved approximately 3.1 million acres of forestlands in fifty states and three territories.

Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Forest Service has been able to protect larger properties through the program than ever before.

With this unprecedented investment, one out of every six acres this program has protected in its lifetime was protected this year. These forests sequester carbon, protect water quality and wildlife habitat, support the forest products industry, and create opportunities for recreation and other public benefits.

The Forest Legacy Program is also covered under President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Communities across the nation depend on forests for the many benefits they provide and this effort to conserve private forestlands directly benefits disadvantaged communities.

For more on how the Forest Service works with states to conserve forests through this program, for a complete list of projects, or to learn how states can apply for fiscal year 2025 funding, visit the Forest Legacy Program webpage. States can also contact their Forest Service regional office for more information.