Bird protection in Western Samoa M.D. Merlin arid J.O. Juvik In a study supported by the FFPS Oryx 100% observations of human-bird relationships collec- Fund, the authors investigated the impact of ted on a visit to Samoa during July-August 1980. traditional hunting practices on native land We carried out field-work on various parts of birds in Samoa. Hunting and habitat modifi- three islands: Savai'i, 'Upolu and Manono. We cation have contributed to the near extinction made surveys of both lowland and upland en- of several endemic species. Through new vironments, particularly in areas proposed for, or hunting regulations, conservation education already incorporated into, the newly-developed programmes and the development of a national parks' system. In addition, local people national park system, the Government of provided considerable information on bird- Western Samoa has moved to strengthen its hunting activities. commitment to the conservation of a unique insular biota. Geographical outline Centred approximately 14°S of the equator and Like most remote oceanic islands of the South 600 km east of Fiji, the 14 volcanic islands of the Pacific, the Samoan archipelago has relatively Samoan chain are spread out 450 km along a few animal species in comparison with adjacent north-west-south-east axis. Politically the archi- continental regions of similar size and environ- pelago is split into two groups: Western Samoa, mental diversity. Land birds compose the major an independent nation since 1962, composed of element in the native vertebrate fauna. Endem- Savi'i, 'Upolu and their small outliers; and ism is high, with 31 (84 per cent) of the 37 native American Samoa, a US territory, which includes species restricted to the Samoan archipelago Tutuila and the Manu'a Islands. (Muse and Muse, 1982). Western Samoa includes the two largest islands in Unfortunately, there is a lack of detailed data the archipelago; Savai'i (1820 sq km), with concerning the life histories and status of this mountains rising to 1858 m, and 'Upolu (1114 sq unique avifauna. This is particularly distressing km), with elevations to 1099 m. Together they because the continued existence of some of account for 93 per cent of the total land area of Samoa's endemic birds is threatened by commer- the chain and support the bulk of the native cial forestry and hunting. For example, the popu- avifauna. Savai'i has experienced recent volcanic lation size of manumea, the extraordinary tooth- activity and is thus characterised by extensive, billed pigeon Didunculus strigirostris, belonging gently sloping, lava plains, few perennial streams, to a genus endemic to Western Samoa, has been dispersed human settlement, and relatively large dramatically reduced because of '. hunting tracts of undisturbed tropical rain forest (Watling, pressures and habitat destruction' (Oilier et al., 1982). 'Upolu is older, with more erosional dis- 1979). section, better-developed soils, and surface water resources supporting higher human populations. This paper reviews the literature dealing with the Of the approximately 170,000 Western Samoan avifauna and presents the results of our Samoans, about 120,000 reside on 'Upolu, both Bird protection in Western Samoa 97 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.229, on 01 Oct 2021 at 09:46:00, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300019803 172 °w 170° W WESTERN SAMOA / Savai'i % SAMOA Government —•> -14°S Forestry / ^^,_y^v Upolu Scheme / j^-^__^->/ \ ! <^ Manu'a Islands P~JV Asau c*~"y V I ^ Tutuila 0 50 100 km X iv\-< Proposed Mt Silisili South Pacific Ocean X. jo^JJational Park \ ! ^"V >->^AMI Sii.s.lt (1859m) \ > 1 - Stevenson Memorial Reserve 2 Mt Vaea Scenic Reserve \ J 3- Vailima ^Salelologa Botanical Garden •~-^ Apolima #— Palolo Deep Marine a r ^& l Savai'i 1 *>J» Manono\ 2 ^F.to(1116m) J^^Xn. 10 W 0 20 km ^vWTogitogiga Recreation 'Upolu VOJr Reserve / ' O le Pupu Pu'e National Park Figure 1. National Park and Reserve areas in Western Samoa. in the urban areas around Apia (the capital) and livia, which became established during this in smaller coastal villages. The greater density of century. human settlement on 'Upolu has resulted in more substantial degradation of the native forests than on Savai'i. Bird hunting Several species, especially the native pigeons and Land birds doves, are hunted for food and sport. Indeed, the relatively large number of Samoan proverbs in- Among the 37 native land bird species and sub- volving bird hunting indicates that some species species in the Samoan archipelago, six are wide- have long served as a significant source of meat ranging and occur in other Pacific island areas. (Schultz, 1965). In addition, the recreational The remaining 31 are endemic to the Samoan exploitation of the avifauna is an ancient Samoan islands, with five forms restricted to the islands of pastime. The French navigator, Louis Antoine de American Samoa, a further 10 are found in both Bougainville, noted in 1772, in the earliest political jurisdictions and 16 species are restricted recorded reference to the birds of Samoa, that to 'Upolu and Savai'i in Western Samoa (Arm- people 'amuse themselves in their leisure hours strong, 1932; Ashmole, 1963; Dupont, 1976; by taming birds' and that their houses 'were full of Kennedy, 1974). Those endemics considered to wood-pigeons, and they bartered them by the be threatened because of hunting and habitat hundreds' (Armstrong, 1932). destruction in Western Samoa are listed in Table 1. In addition to the native avifauna, at least four Undoubtedly, exploitation of the Samoan avi- species of introduced land birds have established fauna began early in the prehistoric phase of breeding populations: moa'ai vao, the jungle fowl human occupation. This assumption is supported Gallus gallus, presumably introduced in the by archaeological evidence from a number of prehistoric period; the red-vented bulbul other Pacific islands, where the record of Poly- Pycnonotus cafer bengalensis; jungle mynah nesian extirpation of numerous flightless bird Acridotheres fuscus; and rock dove Columba species is well documented (the extinction of the 98 Oryx Vol 19 No 2 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.229, on 01 Oct 2021 at 09:46:00, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300019803 New Zealand Moa fauna being the most drama- tic). A recent analysis of fossil deposits found in the Hawaiian Islands suggests that 50 per cent or more of the native avifauna were extirpated prior to European contact and that much of this loss was the result of clearing lowland forests and hunting by early Polynesian settlers (Olson and James, 1982). Although comparable palaeonto- logical/archaeological finds have not yet been discovered in Samoa, it is probable that an early wave of avian extinctions followed Polynesian settlement some 3000 years ago. In the historic period a number of traditional methods of Samoan bird hunting have been well documented. Coconut-fibre snares were often used to trap sega vao, the blue-crowned lory Vini austrahs. The attractive blue and red feathers of this small indigenous bird were incorporated into ceremonial costumes and fine mats ('ie toga). Today these special costumes and mats are often decorated with dyed chicken feathers. Another ancient method involved the use of contained decoys to lure wild individuals into a cage trap. Now only manutagi, the crimson-crowned fruit dove Ptilinopus porphyraceus fasciatus is still captured in this way. According to Samoan legend describing a pigeon-snaring contest, a captured bird was tethered and used to lure flocks of pigeons within range of trapping nets. These nets were attached to long poles that were rapidly A young Samoan displays the fruits of his slingshot hunting at Asau Savai'i: a blue-crowned lory (left) and a cardinal honey- swept back and forth when the pigeons flew eater (right), both taken for food. down near the decoy (Herman, 1955). Nets were also supposedly used to catch the now presumed lata carunculata. Boys and young men stalk their extinct, flightless puna'e, or Samoan wood rail prey near the coast under large flowering trees Pareudiastes padficus. This species, belonging to (for example, Erythrina spp. and Sygyzium sp.) an endemic monotypic genus, was last seen for on which the birds come to feed. We observed certain on Savai'i in 1874 (Yaldwyn, 1952). this activity frequently near the village of Asau on Bows and arrows with one or more prongs were the north-west coast of Savai'i. We also saw, in used to catch ve'a, the banded rail Rallus other villages on Savai'i, young children holding philippensis goodsoni, a common ground- small birds whose feathers had been plucked. We feeding bird. In order to get close enough to the were told that lories and honeyeaters were secretive rails, some hunters would hide inside commonly eaten by the younger Samoans, but small huts and wait for the birds to come within birds are also sometimes kept as pets. Although range of their weapons (Schultz, 1955). widespread hunting with sling-shots may have some impact on the land birds, it certainly does not pose as significant a threat as does the con- Sling-shots are commonly used today to stun or temporary, widespread use of guns. kill small native land birds such as the blue- crowned lory; segasega mau'u or cardinal honeyeater Myzomela cardinalis nigriventris; andGovernment hunting regulations 'iao, the wattled honeyeater Foulehaio caruncu- By 1983 the impact of bird hunting, especially Bird protection in Western Samoa 99 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core.