Botanical inventory of the proposed Ta'u Unit of the National Park of American Samoa

Abstract

Two or three decades ago, Samoa had the highest percentage of intact native vegetation of any Polynesian archipelago. This may still be true, but since then nearly all of the forests of the lowlands (up to ca. 400 m elevation) have been felled or burned for agriculture to keep up with the explosive population growth of the islands, or were decimated by commercial logging operations (particularly in Western Samoa). Nearly all that is left of native Samoan forest is in the montane regions, and even those are currently under siege. Because of this tragic loss of Samoan rain forest, the area of the park represents a significant remnant of native Samoan vegetation, and is important for the unique plant communities it contains. The park is also important because of its rich flora. Only a few of the native species are endemic to the island (less than six), but 329 native vascular plant species have been recorded there. Although only few of the species on Ta'u would end up on an endangered species list, the importance of preserving such a diverse assemblage of plants in their native habitat cannot be over-emphasized. Even with the protection afforded the area by its ranking as a national park, there are threats to the native vegetation and flora, the most serious of which come from human activities.