Empowering Communities to Protect Their Ocean
Photo by Alvaro Hoyos
SAMOA
OCEAN STRATEGY
The Samoa Ocean Strategy, or SOS, is the national policy framework that seeks to sustainably manage Samoa’s vast ocean and marine resources for the well-being of all Samoans now, and into the future. The SOS provides bold and comprehensive integrated ocean management solutions that will advance ocean stewardship and ensure the cultural and the economic values that Samoans derive from their 120,000 square kilometer ocean are preserved for generations to come.
The SOS complements existing plans while strengthening ocean conservation efforts with a focus on marine spatial planning, sustainable fisheries management, and further developing Samoa’s Blue Economy. The strategy also integrates the implementation and management of Sustainable Development Goals, regional policies, and international commitments that concern the marine environment.
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KEY
PARTNERS
KEY
STATISTICS
185
coastal village communities consultated
of ocean protection commitment
30%
35,936
amount of ocean that will be safeguarded
sq. km.
PROJECT
TIMELINE
MOU
GOVERNANCE & WORK PLANNING
ASSESSMENTS
PLANNING & LEGAL DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENTATION
PROJECT
MILESTONES
2021
MOU is signed between the Government of Samoa and the Waitt Institute.
2022
Completed nationwide marine science expedition.
2022
Completed nationwide and sector-wide consultations.
2024
Released the draft Samoa Marine Spatial Plan.
PROGRAM
TEAM
IEMAIMA VAAI
Iemaima Vaai recently moved home to Samoa and works for Conservation International Samoa as the Program Communications Associate for the Samoa Ocean Strategy (SOS). In this role, she supports the SOS secretariat in effectively communicating the SOS's goals, progress, and value through various platforms and events, ensuring consistent messaging and wide public engagement.
She is of Samoan descent, has an academic background in climate change and environmental management, and specializes in loss and damage. She has experience in climate-induced displacement and relocation in the Pacific and its relation to loss of culture, identity, and indigenous knowledge.
She is an ecological stewardship and climate justice activist at heart. She has formerly worked and volunteered in and out of the NGO—non-profit space in Fiji, working on climate justice, conservation, decolonization, the revival of Indigenous knowledge, community engagement and resilience, and youth empowerment.
She has a passion for Pacific Indigenous philosophy and knowledge. Her recent publications intersect with "Rethinking\Reweaving Sustainable Development Frameworks" and "Loss and Damage: Implications of Migration on the Young Pacific Diaspora Community." Her aspiration as a young activist is to seek climate solutions and amplify Pacific community resilience by reviving traditional knowledge and indigenous eco-relational philosophies as an avenue for sustainable development.
CONSERVATION AND FISHERIES
DANITA STRICKLAND
Danita Strickland is from Samoa and is working as the Marine Programme Manager with Conservation International Pacific Island Programme based in Samoa. In this role she helps support the Samoa Ocean Strategy.
She has an academic background in geography from the University of Otago in New Zealand and conservation and development from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. Her dissertation focused on evaluating the performance of Samoa's first national multi-sectoral project addressing land degradation.
Danita has also completed the Pacific Island Conservation Co-management Course at the University of the South Pacific. Her research there explored the underlying factors and values that move individuals to engage in ocean management through marine protected areas.
“98% of our domain is ocean. We are a large ocean state. Our waters hold exceptional habitats, from seamounts to biodiverse coral reefs, carbon rich mangroves, and oceanic basins which contribute significantly to the economy, food security, and the identity of the Samoan people. Through the Samoa Ocean Strategy, we have committed to protect 30% and manage 100% of our ocean by 2030 because we understand we must sustain that which sustains us, now, and into the future.”
- Hon. Prime Minister
