Samoan tropical moist forests

The Samoan Islands are in the central Pacific Ocean. They are volcanic in origin. The islands have a total area of . The largest islands in the group are Savai'i and Upolu. The islands are politically divided between Samoa, an independent country; and American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States. The islands are located south of the equator, and have a humid tropical climate. Rainfall exceeds annually. ==Flora==

Plant communities include lowland rain forest, which is the most extensive, with montane forests and cloud forests at higher elevations. There are smaller areas of montane scrub, pandanus scrub, littoral (seashore) scrub, montane swamp forest, and summit scrub. The rainforest spans the inland region of the island, and includes montane forest and cloud forest which contain most of Samoa's endemic native species, many of which are threatened or near extinction. Littoral or coastal strand plant communities include trees and shrubs like Scaevola taccada, Pandanus tectorius, Barringtonia asiatica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Pisonia grandis, and coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) which are widespread along seacoasts in the Indo-Pacific region. ==Fauna==

Endemic birds include the rare and unusual tooth-billed pigeon (Didinculus strigirostris), known locally as manumea and Samoa's national bird, and other birds such as the maomao honeyeater (Gymnomyza samoensis). The Samoan white-eye (Zosterops samoensis) and Samoan moorhen (Gallinula pacifica) are both endemic to Savai'i. The Samoan moorhen was last recorded in 1873 with possible sightings in 1984 at the upland forests and at Mount Silisili in 2003. ==Conservation==

Most of Samoa's land is under customary ownership, about 81% of which is governed at the local level by matai, the chiefly heads of families. Conservation projects therefore take place in partnership with matai, such as the lowland rainforest preserve in Falealupo village, at the western tip of Savai'i and Tafua village on the south east coast. Some of the islands' plants are used for food, fiber, and traditional Samoan medicine (see Samoan plant names). In 1994, Samoa ratified the international and legally binding treaty, the Convention on Biological Diversity to develop national strategies for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. By 2010 protected areas in the country covered 5% of land. Protected areas include Cornwall National Park (24.94 km2), Lata National Park (49.92 km2), and Mauga o Salafai National Park (59.73 km2) on Savai'i, Lake Lanotoo National Park (4.7 km2) and O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park (50.19 km2) on Upolu, and the National Park of American Samoa on Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta‘ū. ==Gallery==

File:Savaii3.JPG|NASA satellite photo of Savai'i island. File:Top of Falealupo rainforest.JPG|View across the top of low-lying rainforest in Falealupo. File:Hypolimnas bolina in Japan.jpg|Hypolimnas bolina butterfly. File:Canopy Falealupo Rainforest, Savaii.JPG|Forest canopy in Falealupo. ==See also==