Moamoa-Fou Conservation and Nature Trail Opens

Apia, Samoa – 17 May 2025 – The opening of the Moamoa-Fou nature trail last week, is part of a conservation project that aims to rebuild community pride in the natural and cultural ecosystems of the area.

The project is managed by the Committee of the Aumaga of Moamoa-Fou Conservation Area, in collaboration with the Samoa Conservation Society.

The new Nature Trail is part of the Our Future is Now project which involves the creation of a conservation area, an agroforestry garden, waste management efforts, and the management of invasive species within a 20-meter buffer zone of the river.

This trail traverses rehabilitated land and forest adjacent to the Gasegase River, where community members have removed invasive species, established an agroforestry plot, planted indigenous trees, and cleared plastic waste.

Planting native trees is part of the project.

The trail currently leads to a foaga, an ancient grinding stone in the Gasegase River, which was historically used by local inhabitants to sharpen axes before metal tools were introduced to Samoa.

The project is funded by the European Union and is a collaborative effort between the Samoa Conservation Society (SFS/SS), the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (SRWMA), and the Samoa Women’s Association of Growers.

Live & Learn Environmental Education recently joined this collaboration when Moamoa-Fou was selected as one of two communities to pilot the new Community Resilient Islands program.

This program focuses on community-led climate resilience through nature-positive approaches. Moamoa-Fou and Luatuanu’u are two communities participating in a training-of-trainers program, which involves the Samoa Conservation Society, Conservation International Samoa, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Live & Learn Samoa.

The Climate Resilient Islands Programme, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is working with 65 rural communities across Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, PNG, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands to strengthen community resilience to climate change using nature-based approaches.

The pilot training program for Climate Resilient Islands in Samoa is made possible through the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Likewise, the Our Future is Now project is funded by the European Union.

The Samoa Conservation Society also extends its gratitude to the Moamoa-Fou Catholic Church parish and the Lautatosi Advisory Group for their valuable assistance in facilitating this project